


Love amongst the mages

by Infinity0701



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Rayllum, Canon Compliant, Canon Compliant through Season 3, Claudia is 18 in this story!, Elf/Human Relationship(s), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Revenge, Set After Season 3, Two years after the events of season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:23:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 33,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23401357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infinity0701/pseuds/Infinity0701
Summary: Viren's army has lost the war, the reality that Claudia has known since her birth is gone and her very being scarred. She has succeeded in resurrecting her father, but since then, everything that they have accomplished has been done in order to protect the cocoon, which still hasn’t shown  any sign of vitality of some sort.What will happen when said cocoon will open?
Relationships: Aaravos & Claudia (The Dragon Prince), Aaravos/Claudia (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 88
Kudos: 70





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I know this isn’t a popular pairing, but I’ve been thinking about this type of scenario for quite some time now and, in the end, I’ve decided to write it down. It’s my first fan fiction, so I’ll try to do my best^^
> 
> I’ve also decided to age up Claudia and, therefore, the story takes place two years after the third season. I’ve also done that in order to make their relationship legal in this story.

cover art made by n0x27

**”Long ago** , **the huge continent, Xadia, was a land diverse with life and magic. Magic originates from only six primal sources: Sun, Moon, Stars, Earth, Sky, and Ocean. But a thousand years later, a human mage discovered another source: Dark Magic, whereby it enables people to create magic by simply taking the magical essence of any Xadian creature, ultimately killing it. The practice horrifies Xadians and it was soon condemned. The Elves and Dragons punished mankind by forcibly banishing them to the Western lands. A divided continent resulted, where Xadia remains on the East side while all the human kingdoms remain in the West. To ensure the separation, the King of the Dragons, dubbed "Thunder", pledged to defend the border dividing the continent. Centuries past until the humans managed to use powerful Dark Magic to bring down the dragon and destroyed his only egg that contains his heir, the Dragon Prince. Soon after, the Elves vowed war against the humans."**

  
Claudia was desperate, her entire world was falling apart because of this war.  
  


Her brother, Soren, was a traitor. She still couldn't realise the fact that he wouldn't have thought twice, that time, in killing their father in order to save someone like Ezran.   


The memory of that damned day was still etched in her mind; all those dead bodies, the people that she killed, the horror that she felt when she stopped viewing their soldiers as women and men with their own lives and families waiting for them to return home, and started, instead, seeing them as disposable tools that were only needed to reach a certain goal.

But the worst memory of them all of that day, apart from the treachery of her brother, was the broken and disfigured body of her father, Viren. She recalled the pain and the following numbness that she felt and in that moment, she vowed to herself to make whoever did this feel those same excruciating feelings.

Claudia, also, remembered how those feelings were replaced by hope when the former little bug who, somehow, survived the fall, suggested her a way to revive her father.Back then Claudia was desperate and she would have done everything in her power to save Viren, that's why she felt no remorse whatsoever when she killed a soldier still infused with the spell her father previously executed. She then waited, and waited, until Viren finally woke up.

During her waiting period, she barely acknowledged the huge caterpillar and the creature seemed fine by that, for he didn't try to communicate with her either. It looked like he was okay with only watching her tending at her father's wounds...

At least that was before he decided to relegate himself in a cocoon.

After Viren woke up, one of the things he asked about was where the creepy caterpillar had gone and her daughter promptly responded:"He's up there".

She pointed at the cocoon "He's been like that for two days".

Claudia then proceeded to ask: "What are we going to do father?"

And Viren simply responded: "We'll wait".

  
***

  
They've been waiting for two months now and, in that time, they have been leading a simple life made of hunting and surviving.

Thanks to a spell that modified her appearance, she was able to roam around city of Lux Aurea to find provisions and supplies, she was able to observe that the city was slowly decaying without the sun staff and, moreover, there were still remains of the dark magic that tainted that place not so long ago.

She continued to train with her father, although she noticed that Viren had lost a great deal of his power, becoming simply a shadow of his former self.  


Her magic had started growing considerably since she resuscitated Viren and here, in Xadia, she finally felt alive while performing it because every part of the continent reeked with magic.   
  


Meanwhile the cocoon remained the same and there were no signs of any kind of betterment.   


  
***

  
A year passed and the situation did not change.   
  


Slowly Claudia and her father fell in a routine of some sorts: they would wake up, then Claudia would go hunting creatures and food, they would, afterwards, train and, at the end of the day, they would go to sleep.

Strangely enough, Viren was patient and calm and every time Claudia asked impatiently why they couldn't simply leave the cave and build a new life, he would respond by saying: "Time is essential, my child. We have to be patient, trust in the power of time, for he is our ally. Besides, this waiting could distort the focus that our enemies have on us on other matters and soon we will only become a distant memory. That's why, when we'll attack, they will be unprepared, for they would not have expected us. That's where the power of time resides, my dear child".

  
Claudia continued to go to Lux Aurea and she, also, started to work there.

They needed money, for the meat of the animals of Xadia was not enough for them; moreover, they needed to be in touch with the outside world to monitor the moves and thoughts of the enemy, and what better place than a big city full of elves still recovering and receiving help by Katolis itself?

She figured out that there were still soldiers searching, at least, for her, because they all believed that Lord Viren had not survived; but with each passing day this search started to become more and more unimportant and useless, for there were far more pressing matters to attend to.

Claudia also managed to discover that Ezran became once again king of Katolis and his aunt, Amaya, was staying in the city of the sunfire elves because she was the representative of the human kingdom; so she was not that much surprised when, one day, she saw Ezran, Callum, the moon shadow elf and her brother arriving at Lux Aurea.

That day she carefully observed their arrival from the crowd and she felt a pang of rage while looking at her brother's smiling face. How could he still be happy after everything he had done? After siding with her enemies? After leaving them alone? She couldn't even stand to look at the other adolescents without feeling anything else than hate.

That day, when she returned to the cave, she remained dead silent and did not speak to her father.

  
***

  
Months passed and still the cocoon didn't show any signs of change.

  
One day Viren went out to search for animals to use as ingredients for new spells and Claudia was left alone in the cave with only whatever was inside that envelope. 

She took the occasion to say: "I know that you probably aren't able to hear me, heck, I don't even know why, in the first place, I am talking to a cocoon; but I wanted you to know this: thanks. Thanks for helping me that day and, if I knew back then that you would've relegated yourself in this form, I would've sincerely thanked you earlier. I'm sorry for not having done that before. If you can hear me, please, I hope you understand".

Little did she know that Aaravos had been able to hear her apology and that she, also, managed to leave him baffled for the first time in a long time.

  
***

  
It was her birthday today, but she didn't really know what to make of it.

  
She had turned eighteen and, from the recollection of her memories, normally someone who turned that age in Katolis would have a big celebration with all the family members attending to it. 

She remembered the eighteenth's birthday party of her brother, Soren. It had been a great feast, with all of her former friends present. She even recalled that, after the end of the celebration, Soren had started to regard that day as the best one of his life.

But so many things had changed from back then; Claudia didn't have her brother anymore, it had been two years since she last spoke to him, she didn't have her friends anymore, for they have all become her enemies now.

Her hometown was a distant memory and what she now had was her father, a cave and a cocoon. Her anger was still present and it was just waiting its moment to be unleashed. She now prayed the Gods everyday to make something happen to the cocoon so that she could finally get revenge on those who betrayed her.

Claudia's father, Viren, was patient as ever and, after wishing her daughter that day an "Happy birthday", he went outside to perform his boring routine.

Claudia was simply assorted in her thoughts when something unexpected happened to the cocoon; said thing started moving.  
  
When Claudia noticed, she pondered to go searching for her father, but she didn't took at the end a decision because the envelope broke abruptly and, from its remains, an elf with purple skin with star like freckles all round his body, came out of it. He was tall, very tall, with white hair and yellow eyes. 

The elf noticed the girl watching him and he said, smiling at her: "Hello Claudia".


	2. Chapter 1

Claudia couldn't believe at what was happening in front of her own very eyes, she knew that she wasn't the most brilliant human being in the world, but even she couldn't exactly understand the logic behind the simple fact that a caterpillar just turned into a beautiful, good looking, sparkly elf.

She continued to gape at him until she heard him saying: "Are you alright? Is there something wrong?"

The young woman suddenly broke from her trance and nervously said to the elf: "I'm sorry, I'm just a little bit confused, you know. It's not everyday that you see an elf getting out of a cocoon previously made by a caterpillar".

The sparkly creature laughed softly and smirked: "Well, certainly not, but this is a rather 'special' case".

Claudia smiled softly at the elf and then said: "Oh, wait, maybe you would like to wear something more comfortable, I don't think that the cocoon's silk is that much cosy".

The elf responded: "Yes, indeed you're right. You're very kind, thanks".

After having changed, the conversation between the two proceeded and Claudia asked curiously:  
"I hope you don't mind if I ask you, but I still don't know your name, while you know mine..."

The elf calmly responded: "It's alright, really, and also understandable from your point of view, my name is..."

  
But before he could finish his sentence, Viren, who had just entered the cave, said that for him.

  
"Aaravos" he exclaimed.

  
Aaravos looked at the former arch mage of Katolis and then again to Claudia and said to this one, with a hint of a smile:   
"Well, I think now you know it". 

The girl suddenly turned to look at her father and asked him: "Father, you need to explain me a couple of things, how long have you been knowing this guy? Why didn't you tell me about him sooner?  
How did he manage to transform his caterpillar form into one of an elf? Why..."

Viren stopped her rambling and said: "I'm sorry if I didn't tell you about his existence sooner, I have no excuses for that, but I think I could answer a couple of your questions".

The young woman then proceeded to ask her questions:   
"Alright, dad. First of all, how long have you been knowing this hand- err... this elf?" Aaravos caught her slip and, at that, he smiled slightly.

Viren responded: "Aaravos is an elf that was trapped inside the mirror that I found in the Dragon King's lair and..."

Suddenly Claudia interrupted her father: "For all the Gods, HE was trapped inside THAT mirror?! The one that we thought was of no use?"

Her father, now accustomed by her daughter's effervescence, calmly said: "Yes, Claudia, that mirror. Where was I?  
Ah, yes, he offered me his help at the condition to create, alongside him, through the use of magic, something that would serve and help him to keep in contact with the outside world".

Claudia then turned to the elf and asked him: "Is that what happened?"

And he responded: "Basically yes".

Viren continued with his tale: "He helped me in convincing the other kings and queens that the population of Xadia was a menace for our race and he, also, helped me in achieving the throne of Katolis, in order to realize my vision of a better future for the human race".

Claudia, after listening to the story of her father, pondered, for about a couple of minutes or so, his words.   
  


She could fully understand the reasons why her father sided with the elf; she knew that some of the races that lived in Xadia were a threat to the humans, at least that was what she believed, but she couldn't exactly see the reason why he hid the existence of Aaravos from her.

She thought that she would've been of help if her dad had shared this kind of informations with her, so Claudia asked her father:  
"Dad, I have another question. I understand your tale and everything that you've done in order to achieve your vision, I have nothing against that, but what I don't completely understand is why you didn't make the choice to tell me about Aaravos' existence and your plans. I mean, I would've helped you". 

Aaravos, then, in that moment, decided to intervene by saying: "Claudia, your father didn't say anything to you about his whereabouts because he feared that he could lose you. Also, my dear girl, think carefully; you have been through tremendous experiences in this last couple of years. Do you think that the Claudia who still lived in Katolis would've made the same choices as the Claudia that I now have in front of me?"

  
The young woman seriously considered the words that the elf just said and found herself thinking that, in a way, he was right.   
  


The innocent Claudia, daughter of the arch mage of Katolis and brother of the royal guard Soren, would've probably thought twice about agreeing with the ideals of her father, but the Claudia who already lived traumatic experiences, such as seeing her father's broken dead body or experiencing a war and the subsequent treachery of her brother, would have followed her father without a single trace of doubt.

  
She could see now the opportunity in front of her, this elf could help her achieving her so longed vengeance.  


That hatred that she felt for those traitors was stronger than ever before, she was ready to unleash her anger against them and nothing would dare to stop her.

Together they could create a new order, a new world, based on their "altruistic" visions where nobody would ever again try to destroy her family.

Claudia then smiled darkly and said to the others: "Well, then. When do we start?”


	3. Chapter 2

Aaravos was surprised by the girl and all of the emotions inside of her. She could be quirky, excited, caring and understanding when she wanted to be, but she could also be vengeful, angry and sad on some occasions.

  
  
He remembered the first time when he’d met her.

She had threatened him to put his mirror on notice and he, fairly sure that she couldn't see or hear him, had responded by telling her that he, instead, would've done that to her.

Surprisingly, the girl had seemed to perceive his presence, but she had simply brushed it off. It never happened before, she was the first being that had felt him and he had been a little disappointed at first when her father, instead, had revealed himself to be the first figure that had succeeded in communicating with him.

Two years ago, when he had assumed the form of a ghost, those times when she was with her father, he had observed her carefully.

  
  
The girl had caught his attention immediately, he saw the potential that she had deep within her and he had planned to use it once he was out of the mirror.

He wanted her to be an ally in his cause and that was why he had always tried to manipulate, with words and predictions, Viren's actions in her regards.

But, as he had continued to observe her, he’d started to appreciate more and more the caring and loving side that she had; he admired the strange way she talked, her quirkiness, her kindness, her dedication and her resourcefulness.

Aaravos didn't mind to be in her presence and found it to be even relaxing at times, even though he had kept repeating to himself that she was only an asset in his plans, nothing more and nothing less. 

Other than that, he knew she was more, had always been more, than her weak and unintelligent brother.  
  
  


He couldn't care less of what would've happened to him once he was out of the mirror, nor was his intention to involve him in his plans. 

It wasn't only because he didn't possess any magical ability whatsoever, but it was mainly because he was too dumb; Soren relied only on his physical strength and, even if he had seen the guy doubting the intentions of Viren one time, he had never seen him rely on his mind or even use it to create new and creative ways to improve his techniques with his sword as a Royal Guard. 

After the war, however, Aaravos had seen how broken Claudia had been at seeing her father's dead body and so he had helped her by sharing with the young sorceress the secret to bring back the dead.

He had done that because he still needed Viren to achieve his plans, but deep down there had been a small part of himself that had wanted to relieve the pain that she had been feeling.

He had watched her killing a soldier in cold blood, tending to her father's wounds and performing the ritual which had, eventually, brought Viren back. 

But, during that period, he couldn't help himself but feel a little sorry for how the girl had turned out to be, the elf had managed to see in her the same anger and hatred that had moulded him into the being that he now was.

He had felt her thirst for revenge against those who had ruined her life and, in his most humble opinion, he had thought that she was right to feel that way.

Of course, the young sorceress hadn’t thanked him, not that he had been expecting that.

The elves and the dragons never did, they had always regarded him as a dangerous threat, and that just because he had offered the humans gifts that would've helped them reach the so desired equality that they had wanted.

It wasn't right for them to be considered as a lesser race; he had the power to help them and, rightfully so, he had done that and, as predicted, the small village of Elarion, where he had first bestowed the human race with dark magic, had thanked him. 

He had wanted to share his gifts with the rest of humanity, but eventually had refrained in doing so because the citizens of Elarion had started to think that their prowess in dark magic had been due to their abilities to perform it. 

This belief had only increased their arrogance and soon Aaravos, the benefactor, had been forgotten by many of them, considered as a myth and replaced by the tale that they themselves had created dark magic. 

Only a small group had been aware of the truth, including the first human being who had been gifted with such a gift, but not a single one of them had bothered to even tell the true story to the population. As long as the truth was known by them, everything else didn't matter to these individuals.

He could have saved Elarion that day, but their arrogance had been, ultimately, their fall. 

In that moment, they'd asked for his help, through poems and prayers, but they had revealed themselves to be a weak population, only searching the help of the benefactor when they had most needed it. 

Dark magic survived amongst humans, but the myth of Aaravos did not.

He had been surprised, indeed, when one day, while he was inside the cocoon still hatching, the young sorceress had thanked him with all her heart. He could feel it, inside her voice, that she had been really grateful.

He hadn't heard that kind of thanks since a long time and hearing it again had made him feel good.

At last, free of his cage, he had another purpose, other than conquering Xadia. He wanted to get to know better this girl, Claudia, that fascinated him in a way that no other being had done before.

Now that he had started to really know her, he had noticed how amplified her feelings and emotions were compared to just observing her behaviour while being a ghost and he had found himself enjoying Claudia's company. 

Although he still didn't know why, and that was bothering him to no end.


	4. Chapter 3

Months had passed since Aaravos came out of the cocoon and Claudia had found herself admiring their new companion.

Even though he was an elf, he had a great knowledge concerning all the areas of magic that she knew; he was special, one of a kind.

No elf nor dragon had ever been able to perform such a great deal of magic, he had told her that this ability was a rare one, even between the beings that were born among the others Startouch elves. She knew that she could learn a lot of things from him and she was fairly sure that, with his guidance, she could become a better and more powerful sorceress than she had ever been before. 

Claudia found herself spending a lot of time with him and his company was so calming that she always looked forward to it when she returned from a long day of work. 

  
  
One day he had suggested to teach her some tricks that could've been very helpful during a long day of work.

  
"See, if you drink twice a day this potion consisting of the essence of a sun fire salamander, you'll instantly feel energised again. Unfortunately the effect lasts only for a maximum of three hours, so that's why I'm suggesting you to bring two bottles of it". 

Claudia pondered his words; they were outside, not that far from the cave, sitting on a rock.

That day she had returned more tired than usual. The amount of work had increased unexpectedly; maybe that was because, in a few days, the king of Katolis, alongside his companions, would've arrived. 

Aaravos had noticed this and suggested her a few ways to simplify her work and make the situation a little more bearable than before. 

Claudia stayed silent for a couple of minutes before she exclaimed to the elf: "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? You remember my hot brown morning potions, don't you?"

Aaravos at that smirked slightly and said mirthful: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

And Claudia responded excitedly, touching her nose: "YES! What if we put together some elements of my potion with yours?"

Aaravos said: "It could work, and, if the results were positive, the effect would be remarkable".

Claudia then added: "I would never be tired, ever again".

Aaravos responded, smiling slightly: "Well, unless you don't take your daily dose".

The young sorceress responded by saying: "If you even try to steal it once it's ready, believe me, the consequences will be painful".

The Startouch elf, at that, feigning a gasp, said: "Oh, really? And what kind of consequences would they be?"

And Claudia then promptly responded: "Well, let me think... Oh, I know! No hot soup for two weeks".

  
  
The elf loved the food that the young mage was able to prepare, but his favourite dish was, strangely enough, her hot soup. She thought that the meal wasn't anything special, since she was used to it. 

Aaravos had asked her one time where she had learnt to cook it and she had said that, originally, it was something that her mother had always cooked when she was still married with Viren and she had also added that, in the conditions that they were right now, when she had started her work as an employee of what looked like a typical grocery shop in Lux Aurea, she had learned a lot of new spices and ingredients that would've improved her recipe.

Claudia remembered that the elf had complimented her and had told her that she had done a great job. From then on he had declared the soup as his favourite dish and Claudia happily prepared the soup more than before.

The reaction of the Startouch elf was priceless, in Claudia's opinion: "Really? Oh, my, my... I'll have to be careful then not to make you angry".

The two then looked at each other and started laughing merrily. 

After finishing their shared moment, the female mage added, a little bit serious: "You know, before this ordeal, before getting to know you, I thought that all the elves were bad creatures that only wanted the human race to suffer, I even believed that some of them drank blood; but then I got to know you and I'm not so sure that my previous ideas about elves are right or not..."

Aaravos then responded calmly: "That's because I'm not like the rest of them, believe me when I say that I deeply despise the arrogance and bigotry of my own race. They think, alongside the dragons, that they are the only ones worthy of wielding the majestic power of magic, but they are wrong, so wrong".

He then looked at her, with admiration and seriousness in his eyes: "If we were forced to live according to their beliefs and ideas, a talented and powerful magician like you wouldn't have had the opportunity to ever express their abilities and creativity".

Claudia immediately blushed at his words, but the elf continued with his talk: "Besides, on a more personal note, both those races were responsible for my imprisonment inside that damned mirror, just because I was different from them and did not share their ideals of what should or shouldn't be done regarding the use of magic and the right for the human race to wield it".

Claudia then said to Aaravos: "We will defeat them and avenge our rights, they are fools if they think that they can control what the humans can or cannot do".  
  
She then said, laughing slightly: "They will realise that imprisoning an arch mage had been their worst mistake, for that will be the end of their regime".

At those words, Aaravos smirked slightly at her and added: "You're right, soon their arrogance will lead them to their demise".

Unbeknownst to both of them, not far from the place where they were, a figure in the shadows had observed them interacting with a look of disdain on their face.


	5. Chapter 4

Viren didn't like the interactions that those two had started to have since Aaravos came out of the cocoon.

Initially he had hoped that her daughter would get along with the elf once he was out of it and, also, he had hoped that Claudia wouldn't have abandoned him once she had discovered the truth behind him becoming a king and the secret of the caterpillar. So he was glad, at first, that her daughter had accepted and understood his actions and, also, that she had been getting along with the elf instantly.

  
But then, over time, things had started to change.

  
He noticed that her daughter and the elf were getting along a little bit too well in his opinion; he didn't like how suddenly Claudia had started to seek the company of the Startouch elf more, he didn't like the way Aaravos talked to her as if he could really understand all of her quirks but, worst of all, Viren couldn't stand the look in his daughter's eyes whenever she was with him.

The ex-arch mage of Katolis recognised it, it was the same that she had had in her eyes when she interacted with that little brat named Callum when they were still living in the castle. Fortunately for Viren, nothing had ever happened between the two. 

He knew that her daughter wasn't yet aware of her feelings for the sparkly elf, but he couldn't permit her to fall for someone of his species.   
  


Unlike Claudia, Viren had never doubted his prejudices and beliefs he had against the race of the elves.

  
He had always considered Aaravos as an associate in his plan and that was because they both shared some goals and the same hatred for the Xadian's races, but that didn't mean that he regarded the elf as an equal or that his ideas concerning his race were gone or reformed; their alliance had always been merely professional. 

  
Another thing that he couldn't stand was the fact that he firmly believed that the elf was just manipulating her emotions and using her for his personal gain.  
  


He had a valid motive to believe that, after all, he still remembered the time when Aaravos had called her daughter a "valuable asset". 

  
However, what he couldn't ignore, now that he thought of that, were the intense stares that Aaravos had always given to his daughter whenever she had been in Viren's company when he was still in the form of a ghost, those gazes had always generated in Viren a sense of inner turmoil and uneasiness; but, up until now, he had always brushed them off and justified them as something created by his imagination, caused by the stress of being king.

  
Additionally, the smirk that the elf had made after he had remarked to him that Claudia was not an asset, but his daughter, had been in his mind for quite a bit that time. He now knew that that smirk had been a challenging one.

He should have seen it coming, how could he have been so blind? 

  
Viren was observing the interaction between the two behind the bushes, he had to keep them under his watchful eyes, who knew what that damned elf could’ve done to his daughter?

Viren quickly recovered from his thoughts when he saw the elf approaching to his daughter's ear.

  
  


Aaravos suddenly leaned in, took her hand and whispered to the young sorceress' ear: "Claudia, why don't you go to the cave and prepare for dinner that hot soup that I like so much, mmh? I have to take care of something".

Claudia blushed at his gesture and at the sound of his voice so close to her ear.

She responded, a bit flustered: "Y-yes, of course. See you later, then". 

When Aaravos was sure that Claudia was out of earshot, he said, not turning around:

"Do you think I am that dumb not to sense your watchful eyes every time I am in company of your daughter, Viren?"

The eyes of the ex-arch mage of Katolis widened instantly and, soon after, he came out of his hideout.

Aaravos then turned to the man and asked: "Well, then, explain yourself". 

At hearing that, Viren, trying to stay calm, said: "Now, don't you act like you don't have a clue about what's going on".

Aaravos then smirked and added: "I'm sorry, Viren. But I really don't know what you're talking about".

The human mage said, more furious than before: "Oh, really? Then let me refresh your memory. You. My daughter. Now, talk". 

Aaravos then smiled slightly, but in his eyes there was a cold stare that would've frozen anyone; the elf said, coldly: "I don't know where the problem is, really, in just interacting with your daughter and-".

But before he could finish his sentence, Viren finally burst out, screaming at him: "You don't know, huh?! Whispering things in her ear, holding her hand, frequently complimenting her? Come on, Aaravos, I'm a man and I know when one is trying to flirt or seduce a woman. It's a pity for you that that woman turns out to be my own daughter". 

Aaravos then said defiantly: "And what if I am?"

Viren, taken by surprise, replied with a simple: "What?"  
  
And the Startouch elf repeated, with a more distant tone than before, gone was already the playfulness previously present in his voice:

"I said, what if I am flirting with your daughter, huh? What will you do, 'father'?"

  
Viren sincerely didn't expect that the elf would expose himself in such a way, he thought that he would've continued his rambling about how he didn't know what he was talking about and, when he heard the challenge in his voice, the ex-arch mage of Katolis replied, not really sure about what he was saying: "I, I am her father, and as such, I have to protect her from types like you". 

  
The Startouch elf, annoyed, said: "I got that part, believe me, but my question was, what will you do to me?" 

Viren was speechless, he really didn't know what to say and, noticing the silence of the man, Aaravos then continued:

"I thought so, you don't really know. Your actual magical power cannot be compared to the one you had before and, even then, you wouldn't have stood a chance against me. You should be more grateful to the ones that brought you back to life; after all, on your own, you would be quite useless". 

Suddenly Viren realised what the elf had said and asked him: "Then, if I'm quite useless, why am I still alive?" 

He instantly noticed the strange reaction of Aaravos, for he had stayed silent for quite a while and Viren, in that moment, finally understood and, with an horrified expression, said: "You've done that for my daughter, to be in her good graces. After all, look at me, I am useless, I don't have my powers anymore". 

Aaravos, for a brief moment, looked down on the floor and said nothing, but then with a slight smile, he replied: "Well, but now you're here with us, the reasons don't matter, at the end of the day".

He added afterwards with an icy glare: "Believe me when I say that your role here isn't finished yet". 

After that, the two parted ways and separately headed to the cave. Both of the mages had a lot on their minds; Viren couldn't still quite accept that, in the end, all of his suppositions revealed themselves to be true and Aaravos couldn't believe that he literally lost control.

He was used to have everything planned out and this was also related to his actions; but every single time that Claudia entered the picture, he wasn't able to control himself. He was not used to that and, as unlikely as it may sound, he had never felt those kind of things before in his long life. 

He'd had lovers during his long lasting existence, but none of them had ever made him feel something else other than sexual attraction. 

Aaravos wasn't still sure about what were this reactions that this young woman provoked in him.

But he was sure about one thing, in front of them he felt simultaneously excited and terrified.


	6. Chapter 5

Two days had passed since the two males in the group had their discussion in the forest and, in those following, the tension between them grew considerably.

Claudia had noticed this sudden change of moods between the two and she had opted for observing closely their dynamics; she was able to detect that both had started to become more colder towards each other and, every time she was alone, conversing with one of the two, and the other came close to them, she was instantly able to catch the shift in the atmosphere that this kind of situation created.

Moreover the young sorceress caught sight of her father and the elf arguing for the pettiest of reasons; one time they had even argued for who should've kept watch with Viren strongly affirming that Aaravos should do the ordeal every night, since he was a Startouch elf and, therefore, he easily didn't get tired like him, a human being. 

The elf, obviously, had refused her father's suggestion and Claudia remembered watching the two arguing back and forth for the rest of the night; she eventually had got tired of listening to them and had gone to sleep, so she never really knew who, in the end, had ended up doing the job. 

The young sorceress was getting more and more annoyed with the attitude that those two reserved for each other, and so it was not a surprise when one day, at dinner, after witnessing the umpteenth argument between them, she bursted out, placing her plate by her side, saying:

"Can you stop now? It looks like you've all suddenly become children all over again. Stop acting so childish, I want to know what's going on between the both of you".

The other mages, at hearing the furious tone of voice of Claudia, suddenly stopped whatever quarrel they had begun. For a moment, the simple sound of silence reigned in the cave, none of the two knew what to say.

  
Viren didn't want to explicitly reveal to her daughter that she had been the cause of his animosity towards the elf and Aaravos didn't want Claudia to know that he had been subtlety flirting with her for those past few weeks. So the two men opted for staying silent and they tried not to meet the stare of the young woman sitting in front of them.  
  


Said young woman, irritated by the silent treatment that they were giving her, told to them: "Father, for the past couple of months that Aaravos has been with us, you've never acted like that with him. So what changed that?"

Viren sighed and, with a defeated look, responded to her daughter: "Claudia, I don't really know what got over me. Maybe I'm becoming a little bit more overprotective towards you because the time when we will put into action our plan is approaching, and I'm concerned about you". 

The young sorceress, with a more relaxed expression and less irritated than before, said to her father: "Dad, I know that you're concerned about me, really, but I'm a young woman now. I'm not the girl that I used to be anymore, so I am responsible enough for taking my own decisions". 

She then added: "But that doesn't justify enough the actions that you've adopted against Aaravos. I mean, what does he have to do with the fact that you're simply concerned about me?" 

Viren, at that question, nervously responded: "Well, I have to say that I don't like seeing you spending a lot of time with that elf, I don't know, I don't trust him to be around you".  
  


At his words, the elf shot at him a look full of disdain and Claudia, at his response, replied to her father:

"Dad, come on, Aaravos has always been kind and gentle with me since he came out of his cocoon, I really don't get where your accusation comes from and, like I said before, I think I am old enough to decide with whom I want to spend my time with and if I enjoy being around him, it shouldn't be your problem to begin with". 

Viren then said to her daughter: "But Claudia, he's an elf, you have to be careful". 

And, at that, she responded, a little annoyed: "I can't believe that you would even say something like that dad, he's not like the others. When he had regained his original form, he could've very well abandoned us, but instead he's been nothing but helpful and caring"

While saying the last part, she looked at Aaravos with a smile and she then added, looking at her father with a stern face:

"So stop saying nonsense like that. We only have each other and if we start to argue between us, then we'll have really nothing left".

Viren, in that moment, realised how much this experience had matured her daughter. She had always had this caring side and she had always been the real collant between the former family dynamic that she, Soren and him had been.

He was proud of Claudia and he cared a lot about her; he knew that this last couple of years hadn't been the best experience of her life, but he was glad to have been with her during this hard times and so, in a certain kind of sense, he was grateful to the elf for sharing with her daughter the secret to bring back the dead. 

Viren was also thankful that Claudia didn't live this period without him; he really didn't know how she would've managed this situation all alone. 

So, with a sorrowful look, he said to her: "You're right, Claudia, I'm sorry".

And then, more distantly, he said to the elf: "I'm sorry for having treated you like that. I propose a truce, for her". 

Aaravos responded to the ex-arch mage of Katolis: "Apologies accepted. For once, I agree with you. Truce, for her".

Claudia, excitedly clapped her hands and, with a huge smile, said: "Yay! You two have finally made peace!" 

  
  
Aaravos smiled and laughed at Claudia's reaction and, after that, he went out. 

Viren wasn't at all surprised when he saw her daughter following the elf; he still wasn't fond of the arch mage, but he couldn't deny what her daughter had said previously.

After all, the elf had stayed with them even after having regained his true original form and he couldn't stop his daughter from interacting with him; even if he didn't like the turn that these interactions were taking.

***

Claudia saw the elf outside of the cave watching the night sky; in her eyes he looked like an heavenly angel that was observing from afar the place where he had come from. She approached him and, at standing near him, she felt her heartbeat accelerating. In Claudia's opinion, Aaravos was really an otherworldly being, with all those star like freckles scattered around his body and his long beautiful horns.

She tried to distract herself by those thoughts by saying to him: "So... that's where you come from?"  
She pointed her finger at the stars up in the sky.

Aaravos laughed slightly and said amused: "Indeed, I do, even if it's a little more complicated than that". 

He then pointed to the most luminous star in the night sky: "See that bright star up there"? 

Claudia nodded and the elf continued: "That's the exact place where I come from". 

She looked intently at the star and then she asked curiously: "It's a far away place from where we are, how did you exactly managed to get here?" 

The elf, at that, responded: "There's a portal, here in Xadia, that can take you there and viceversa. The star nexus is located there; unfortunately the portal changes its position every new moon". 

Claudia then asked: "How does one person know where the portal is?" 

The elf responded: "With my key you could locate its position". 

The young sorceress, excitedly, said: "Wow, that's so cool". 

Aaravos added afterwards: "If you'd like, when we'll have accomplished our plan, I could bring you there". 

At hearing that, Claudia looked at the elf and said, with a kind and soft smile on her face: "Yes, I would love that". 

Aaravos looked at the young woman beside him, she looked divine under the moonlight. Claudia was the most beautiful being that he'd ever come across in his long life, he appreciated every side of hers. He'd never thought that he could feel something this deep for someone, let alone for a human being; but here he was, contemplating her beauty under the stars.

Suddenly Claudia asked him: "Are you ready for tomorrow?" 

And he responded: "Yes, I am... Are you?" 

The young woman said, a bit nervous: "Yeah, I guess I am". 

He then took both of her hands in his and said to her gently, without thinking: "I will always protect you, Claudia; no one will ever hurt you again, I promise". 

The young sorceress, at hearing those words, blushed furiously and said, smiling fondly: "Thank you so much, Aaravos". 

The two then contemplated the sky silently and, after some time, they decided to retire for the night, both with the image of the other implanted in their minds.


	7. Chapter 6

Callum had been learning a lot about magic in these past two years, he discovered that he could connect with other arcanums; he remembered vividly the time when he had been able to understand the ocean arcanum.

It had been roughly four months after the war and he, in that period, desired to explore more about Xadia; the life at the castle had become boring since their little adventure, he craved and he missed all the times where only he, Rayla, Ezran and Zym were together.

After the war, his brother had fully assumed the role of king and, because of it, he was every day full of paperwork to sign and problems to solve; Soren was too occupied with his royal guard's duty and, when he wasn't busy with those, he dedicated the rest of his time organising search patrols in order to find her lost sister.

After the battle in Xadia, the young dragon had been in company of his mother and he rarely saw him and Rayla, in that period, returned to her village to try to demonstrate that she was innocent and had helped in retrieving Zym to her mother, moreover she wanted also to prove the innocence of her parents.   
  


He had asked her if she wanted him to go with her, but the Moonshadow elf had responded to him that it would've been best if he had stayed in Katolis and had helped his little brother with his amount of work, besides she had promised him that she would've returned soon and that the process wouldn't have lasted for long.

Unfortunately Rayla had been wrong because the council had wanted to be absolutely sure that the history of the young girl was the true version and so her beloved girlfriend had to stay there until all of this mess had been resolved.

At that time, Callum didn't crave adventure just for the sake of craving it, but he had been starting to feel a strange pull to all of the elements related to water that he had never even felt before in his life, he had believed that going to the court of the Tidebound elves could've helped him understanding what he had been feeling.

Fortunately for him, a couple of weeks later, Rayla had been declared not guilty by the council of the Moonshadow elves and her parents had been, as well, declared innocent and victims of the violence of the dark mage Viren.

When the young elf had returned to Katolis, he remembered that he had asked her to accompany him in this voyage that he had wanted to make and she had responded: "Callum, you know that I really love you, but do you think that I would go to a place where water is its primal element?"

He had said, in response: "Come on, Rayla, pretty please? I want to discover the source of this pull and I have a feeling that the Tidebound elves could help me".

The young elf, at hearing his pleading tone, had said defeated: "Ok Callum, I'll go with you, just because it's been a while since we've spent some time together".

And the boy had responded, excitedly: "Thank you so much, Rayla. You're the best girlfriend a boy could ever desire".

Rayla had stopped him and had said: "Yeah, I know; but spare your compliments for later, when we'll be surrounded by water". 

She then had shivered in fear at that thought.

Afterwards Callum remembered that the trip to the court of the Tidebound elves had been relatively calm, even if Rayla had instantly wanted to get off of the vehicle that would've taken them underwater, straight to their destination. At that he'd had to convince her again and he'd reassured her constantly for the rest of the voyage.

When they'd arrived to the city where the Tidebound elves lived and encountered the high mage of the court, he had discovered that he was able to tap into the arcanum of the ocean and, therefore, he could cast spells related to it. During his stay to master the arcanum, he recalled that Rayla had started to fear less the power of the ocean, maybe that was also because he had demonstrated to her, one time, that water could also be a fun and innocuous element if used in such a way.

After having learned the ability to wield properly the ocean magic, much like he did with the sky one, he and Rayla had returned to Katolis and they both had told to their friends what had happened and what Callum was able to do. Some weeks after his return, he had started to feel the pull towards all of the elements related to earth and another adventure with Rayla had begun.   
  
  


***  
  
  


Two years after the war and the discovery of his abilities, he had been able to understand also, alongside the earth, ocean and sky ones, the moon arcanum, thanks to the help of Lujanne.

Since his last experience, he had been feeling the affinity with fire elements and this time Soren, Ezran and Rayla would've accompanied him in his journey. His young brother had always wanted to join him in his adventures but, because of his duties, he'd never been able to do that so, thanks to the excuse of solving some matters with the sunfire elves living in Lux Aurea, he'd finally managed to be with him on this one.

He had to admit that he was a little bit surprised when he had heard that Soren would've also joined them on this trip, Ezran had told Callum that he had insisted on the royal guard taking a distraction from his amount of work; his younger brother also believed that this visit to Lux Aurea would've taken Soren's mind off of the seemingly endless research that he had been leading since the end of the war to find her little sister.

No one had ever seen or heard anything about Claudia since the defeat of Lord Viren, some said that she had managed to escape and go to hiding, some others assumed that she was still alive, plotting revenge against those who'd killed her father and others simply believed that she hadn't survived.

In reality none of the soldiers sent to search for her had ever found any evidence that supported even one of these theories; the disappearance of Claudia was a mystery as well as the missing body of the once arch mage of Katolis.

Once they arrived at the beautiful city of Lux Aurea, they were greeted by a crowd of elves, bowing and showing respect to the ones who had saved Xadia from the darkness.

Strangely enough, when they entered the court of the Sunfire elves, Callum felt a strongly dark atmosphere in the city and he was fairly sure that this wasn't related to the residue of dark magic still present since when Lord Viren had attacked the fortress of the Sunfire elves.

His suspicions revealed to be true when he saw the sky suddenly darkens, he unconsciously watched Soren and saw in his face a look of terror and fear that he'd never seen before in the boy.

He then asked to him: "Soren, do you know what's going on?" 

And the royal guard, terrified, responded to the young mage: "Callum, i-it's like t-the last time".

But the teenage boy didn't have the opportunity to ask him about it because a figure appeared in the tower, the place where he was feeling the power of dark magic resonating soundly.

The four of them instantly turned pale when they heard an amplified voice from the tower: "Greetings, habitants of Lux Aurea, I think you all recognise me from the last time I've been here".

Callum couldn't believe at what he was seeing: up there in the tower there was the ex-arch mage of Katolis, Lord Viren, alive and well. How had he survived the fall? The young mage was really baffled because he and Rayla had seen him and his caterpillar precipitate from that mountain that day and he knew, for sure, that no one would've ever been able to survive a fall like that.

Lord Viren, in the meantime, continued with his talk: "This time your queen isn't dead, even if she's a little incapacitated at the moment".

At hearing that, Rayla growled and shot at him from afar a venomous look; she knew exactly what 'incapacitated' meant in the vocabulary of the dark mage.

Callum, in the meantime, had asked himself where the guards where and he didn't believe that their enemy had been able to incapacitate all of them.

His thought soon found a response when he saw, near Viren, a strange elf; the former then said: "Today the era of the reign of the elves and dragons ends and the era of Aaravos begins".

At hearing that name, a lot of the elves around him gasped in fear and shock.

Callum then heard Rayla say: "We have to get out of here, we've to take Ezran to a safe place. Maybe they know that we're here".

All of the people in the group nodded in agreement and they quickly left the place running, they were still able to hear the words, this time of the elf, saying: "This is merely a present to you all, habitants of Lux Aurea, make good use of it".

The population of the city started to panic and chaos ensued, there were people screaming, children crying, families terrified.

Aaravos then started to chant a dark magic ritual and Callum screamed with all of the voice inside of him: "RUN! COVER YOUR HEARS". The group did what he had said and started running with more vigour than before.

While running Callum had been able to observe that slowly some of the elves were starting to get affected by the spell: the white sclera of their eyes had started to become purple and the expression in their faces dull and empty.

Some of the elves, alongside them, had managed to get out in time from Lux Aurea.

Suddenly he heard a female voice screaming Soren's name: "Soren! Please help me".

None of the components of the group could believe at what they were witnessing; Claudia was running towards their direction, but she was unkept, like she had been kept prisoner for who knows how long: half of her hair was white, her clothes were torn and there was present in her face a scar still fresh.

Instantly the Crownguard ran towards her and hugged her tightly, the young woman returned the hug and the guy said to her: "I've been searching for you since the end of the war. Why are you like this? What happened?"

Claudia responded to her brother: "I'll answer to all of your questions, I promise, but now it's not the time, we have to escape!"

Her brother nodded and, alongside the group, they all started to run again, far away from the once shining and recovering Lux Aurea.

***

After Aaravos finished another spell that would've created a magical barrier around the city and, because of it, would've trapped the population inside of it and would've prevented other beings from entering the court of the Sunfire elves; Claudia removed the illusion that she had created on herself to look like her father and said to the elf: "How did I go? Was I convincing?"

  
Aaravos then came by her side, he hugged her and said: "You were more than convincing, you've been spectacular!"

He then put his arm around her shoulders and she put hers around his chest, after that, Claudia asked the Startouch elf, while looking at the city beneath her: "You think he's gonna be okay?"

Aaravos responded to her: "You'll see, your father will be fine".

He then kissed the top of her head and she squeezed him tightly.


	8. Chapter 7

_A few days before_

Claudia had returned to the cave excited because she had come to know an information that would've probably been of help, some of the elves that worked with her in Lux Aurea had informed her that the king of Katolis alongside his companions would have come to the city in a few days, this was an opportunity that they couldn't miss.

When she had entered the cave, she had said to the others: "Dad, Aaravos, you won't believe what I'm about to tell you". 

Her father had then asked her, a bit annoyed at her daughter's antics: "Claudia, just tell us what you have discovered".

The young woman had then proceeded to say: "The King and his friends are going to be in Lux Aurea in a few days! This is an opportunity that we can't ignore".

Aaravos excitedly had told to the young sorceress: "Well done, Claudia, this is absolutely an opportunity that we can very well exploit".

He had added: " I think I have a plan for that, but I still have to figure out some dynamics of it".

After saying that, the elf had gone outside to ponder the news that Claudia had given them.

Viren had then said to her daughter: "I don't get it, why is he the one deciding what we should or shouldn't do?"

The young woman at that had responded: "Dad, do I need to remind you that he's the most experienced out of us three in these matters? He's, what, a thousand of years older than us. I trust him and I think he knows what he's doing".

Viren then hadn't said anything and the rest of the day had been relatively calm.

***

Two days had passed since Claudia had come to them with that information and, in those two days, Aaravos and Viren had started to quarrel, she still didn't know why, but she was sure that she would've discovered the reason, one way or another.

In that day Aaravos had searched her to talk about something that seemed important, the young sorceress had said to the elf: "Everything's fine?"

And the Startouch elf had responded, smiling at her: "Yes Claudia, thank you for asking".

He then had continued: "I think I have come up with a plan, do you remember the moonstone collar that you've bought at the fair in Lux Aurea a couple of weeks ago?"

The young woman had nodded and the Startouch elf had proceeded in his talk: "This collar is very special, it permits the user who wears it to create any kind of long lasting illusion on himself".

Claudia, at hearing that, had said: "I'm starting to see a pattern here, but continue".

Aaravos then had stated: "The plan is very simple, we have to retrieve my key that is now in the hands of the royal family of Katolis and, in order to do so, one of us has to gain their trust and steal it from them".

At hearing that, the young woman had pondered at his words and then had said, smirking: "And I know exactly who could accomplish this task".

"Me?" Viren had uttered.

Claudia and Aaravos, after finishing their talk, had returned to the cave to explain to the other mage their ideas and the plan that the elf had come up with.

The reaction of her father hadn't been the best one: "Why me? Why not him?"

Claudia couldn't bear the current dynamic that had arisen between the two, but it was not the day nor the time to actually discuss about that, firstly they had to organise their plan, so she had responded to her father, with all the calm that she could muster:

"Because, dad, you can't harness a great amount of dark magic without irreparably damaging yourself; you posing as a me without any magical powers would probably quickly gain their trust".

Viren, at that, had sighed defeated: "It's true, you're right".

He then had looked at Aaravos and had said: "So, I have to gain their trust and retrieve your key. Why is this key so important?"

The elf had answered: "This key is important because it will grant me the power to eradicate the connection that every being here in Xadia is able to make with any kind of arcanum".

Viren had said, his voice full of suspicion: "But wouldn't that be counterproductive for you? In doing that, you wouldn't also be able to access to all of your powers".

The elf had then answered seriously: "True, but it's a sacrifice that I'm willing to make. The only source that would be available in that kind of scenario would be dark magic, since it doesn't connect to any of the Primal Sources".

Viren had thought about the plan of the elf and, as much as he couldn't stand the creature in that time, he had to agree with him; but then he had asked, not fairly sure about one thing: "What about the primal stones? Did you thought about them?"

At that, his daughter had responded: "And that's where we come in".

Aaravos had smiled and had said: "That's right, we'll 'incapacitate' the leaders of every elven reign and corrupt the few primal stones present in those realms".

Then Claudia had added: "We'll start from Lux Aurea, even if you two have already managed to corrupt the sun primal stone present in the sun staff. We need an army to attack the other elven kingdoms, and what better place than to start with the fierce, but still recovering city of the Sunfire elves?"

After that, Viren had said to the elf: "Well, I must admit that your plan is flawless".

And the elf had replied, with a smirk on his face: "Of course it is".

_Present day_

Viren was a bit nervous, it was a strange thing, trying to impersonate her daughter but, at the same time, he hoped that the adolescents, including his son, believed the story that he was going to tell them.

Once they arrived at the camp, Callum said to him: "Well, Claudia, you have to explain some things to us, after all".

Viren sighed and replied to the teenager, feigning desperation and remorse: "It's true and it's- it's all my fault". 

Soren then said, concerned: "Why are you saying that, Clauds?"

At that, Viren said remorsefully: "After the war, I found the dead body of my father, I swear I was desperate, I didn't know what to do and then, you remember Soren, our father's bug pal?"

The Crownguard nodded and Viren continued: "He survived, don't ask me how, but he did. He told me the secret to bring him back, I'm so sorry, I wanted so badly to be with him".

A few tears ran down the false Claudia's face: "I-I managed to bring him back but, in doing that, I damaged myself, I can't do dark magic without irreparably hurting myself".

He pointed at his false white hair: "I wanted our family to be back like it was before the war, I couldn't bear the thought of losing him forever, but I did a terrible mistake. When he came back, there was something wrong with him, he wasn't the same anymore, he became colder and angry towards me whenever I did something wrong".

Soren, at hearing that, put his hand on what he believed was Claudia's shoulder, Viren added: "His bug, you were right Soren, our father could talk to him, but it was not all".

He then continued, saying with a terrified tone: "That bug managed to regain his original form, don't ask me why, I don't really know how he did it; but he's an elf and he's bad. Ever since he regained his form, I've been prisoner of those two because that mad elf didn't trust me".

He then said, with a look and tone he thought were a desperate and sorrowful one: "I'm sorry, I didn't know that this could've happened, I-I just wanted my father back..."

At hearing that, Callum and Ezran shot at the false Claudia a look of sympathy and Ezran said: "I understand, Claudia, if I had in my hands the power to bring my father and my mother back, I probably would've used it too". 

Callum nodded and added: "You couldn't have known what version of your father that spell would've brought back, for all that matters, I believe and I forgive you".

Viren then said to Ezran: "I'm sorry for what I did to you that day during the battle, but I wanted my dad to be proud of me". 

Ezran at that responded: "I understand Claudia, besides, I figured it out. In the end, it's the same reason why Soren had previously tried to kill us in the first place. Lord Viren can be manipulative and pretty convincing when he wants to".

The false Claudia said: "Thank you so much for understanding, Ezran, it means a lot for me".

Then Soren hugged his sister and, while crying, he said, sobbing: "I'm so sorry that you've gone through this horrible experience, I should've sent more patrols, I-" 

At that, Viren shushed him and said, feigning her daughter's caring attitude towards his son: "It's not your fault, Sor bear, you've done what you could, but you couldn't have known what was happening to me. What I regret the most is that I didn't go with you when I had the opportunity, I'm sorry if I didn't realise our father's true nature before". 

Soren then said, smiling at his sister, with still some tears in his eyes: "What counts is that you're here with us now, you're safe".

The only person in the group that didn't say anything was Rayla, she didn't know exactly why, but there was something wrong with Claudia. Of course, it was only a feeling that she had, but it was like the girl in front of her wasn't real, in a certain kind of sense.   
  
  


She smiled slightly at the girl, but she opted to observe her actions closely from then on.

Viren was satisfied with himself; he managed to trick all of the adolescents and they believed at his lies, but there was one thing that was bothering him.

He had a feeling that the Moonshadow elf, Rayla, he believed that was her name, didn't totally believe him. He had to be careful with her, the elf, after all, could probably sense his illusion, since she was a Moonshadow elf. 

  
He had to admit, though, that he had remained surprised at what his son had done during these two years; he couldn't believe at the dedication and care that he had towards her sister, he knew that they had been close, but he had never thought that their closeness had been this strong. 

  
He felt a little guilty about that, after all he didn't really know his children, especially his son. Maybe, with this experience, he could get to know better the man that he had become in this two years.


	9. Chapter 8

Under the rule of Aaravos, the economy of Lux Aurea had managed to recover swiftly, Claudia had noticed that the spell cast by the Startouch elf had only stolen the Sunfire's elves freedom of speech: they were still able to formulate thoughts of their own and they had all been able to resume their daily activities without any kind of problem. They now all worshipped Aaravos and they weren't able, or even allowed, to question his decisions.

Claudia had been amazed by the architecture of the royal palace of Lux Aurea; there was gold everywhere, the rooms were decorated with motifs that were unique and the columns were extraordinary. She had been also stunned by the cleanness of the place and her room in the palace was bigger than the one she’d had when she had lived in the castle of Katolis.

She now felt like a princess or someone part of royalty; she had even roamed the castle with Aaravos one time and they had also joked about the typical attire of the Sunfire elves.

"How does it fit? Do I look like a Sunfire elf?" She had asked the elf that time after trying on one of those.

Aaravos had then responded: "Well, you certainly lack the elven ears and the dark complexion that these kind of elves normally possess".

At that, she had shot at him a sarcastic look and he had said, smirking slightly: "But, of course, if we did not count those important 'elements', I would say that you almost look like a Sunfire elf".

At seeing her proud expression, he had reminded her merrily: "Almost".

When Claudia had heard his last uttered word, she had said, crossing her arms and feigning annoyance: "Uh, you really are rude when you want to". 

The Startouch elf had then responded: "Yes, I am".

Afterwards she remembered that Aaravos had told to her, a little more seriously: "But, jokes aside, you really look pretty in that type of garment; even if I personally prefer you in your normal clothes. They give you that human look that is very appealing and stunning, at least to me". 

The young woman had become redder than a tomato and had said, flustered: "T-thank you Aaravos, really". 

The elf had smiled at her and he had also noticed her reaction, he had then responded: "Anytime, dear Claudia".

Aaravos had also added, smirking: "And, do tell, since when do my compliments make you become like this?"

He had pointed at her still red face that had become even more redder than before at his statement. 

Claudia, at that point, had said to him: "D-don't you have your k-kingly duties to attend to?"

At hearing that, the elf had thought about her question and he had then responded: "Yes, now that I remember, I do have some". 

He had added afterwards: "But if you ever get bored, you know where to find me".

The young woman had replied: "Huh, chances are that probably you are the one who's going to get bored".

Aaravos had sighed, defeated: "You're probably right".

She had then said teasingly: "This is what you get for conquering the court of the Sunfire elves and self proclaiming yourself king".

Said king had asked innocently: "You know, since we both conquered Lux Aurea, we could equally split the amount of work there is to do and-"

Claudia had stopped Aaravos mid sentence and had said: "Oh no, mister; thanks but no thanks. You won't get me stuck in all those paperwork. Besides I already have something important to do".

At that, the elf had asked her sarcastically: "Oh, really? And what would this be? Is it more important than helping a humble Startouch elf getting his stack of paperwork done?"

The young sorceress had responded, smirking widely: "I have to explore this huge castle and, yes, it is more important than helping you doing your paperwork".

The elf had then said, feigning being offended by her words: "Ouch, that blow wounded me deeply in my heart".

Claudia had replied: "Maybe when I will accomplish my objective, I could help you with yours".

But, at seeing his happy expression, she had reminded him merrily: "Maybe".

At hearing that, Aaravos had said to the young mage: "Look at you, using my own remarks against me, now that's totally rude".

Claudia had responded, shrugging her shoulders: "What can you say? The apprentice learns from her master".

At that, the Startouch elf had laughed sincerely and then he had said: "Jokes aside, I really want you to be by my side while dealing with that amount of work. It would make it less boring and, besides, you would really be helpful".

The young sorceress had replied: "Of course I will help you, just let me change from this clothes and then I'll be with you; besides, after that, we could explore the castle together".

He had then responded to her: "Certainly, I'll be by your side every time, when you will want me to be".

***

Claudia remembered with a smile the memory, it was beautiful living in a castle like that.

She was now in her room, contemplating memories of the past and how much her lifestyle had changed since they had conquered Lux Aurea.

Suddenly she heard a knock on her door and, after giving the permission to enter to whoever it was, a female Sunfire elf, a maid, she recalled, asked her: "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, your highness, but King Aaravos has requested your presence in the throne room".

Claudia then got up from her bed and then asked, surprised: "Wait, your highness? Why are you calling me like that? What happened to 'my lady'?"

The female elf said: "I apologise if it made you uncomfortable, but the king has ordered us to call you with royal appellatives". 

The young sorceress nodded and together they both headed to the throne room. While she was walking, Claudia couldn't stop thinking at the order that Aaravos had given to the elven staff; she knew that, to be part of a royal family of some sort, a person needed to be related to the royals or married to a member of said family, and she didn't fit in none of those categories.

The young mage then, for a brief moment, imagined herself being married to the Startouch elf and she was somewhat surprised when she discovered that she didn't mind the idea at all.

  
  
At that thought she slightly blushed and she quickly recovered from her thoughts when she heard the elven maid saying to her that they had arrived.

In front of her there was the figure of Aaravos, sitting on a throne at the top of a golden staircase; she noticed that he was reading a book of some sorts. When he heard the voice of the maid, announcing that Claudia had arrived, he dismissed coldly the elven guards present in the giant golden room and these ones did what they had been told to do.

The young woman then approached the staircase and said, while crossing he arms, to the elf: "Well? Why did you call me?" 

Aaravos then changed his stoic sitting position to a one more indecorous and relaxed, he then placed his hand on his forehead and replied to her, in a melodramatic way: "Claudia, I'm so bored, being king is boring". 

The young woman in response rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, she afterwards went up the stairs and, when she arrived, she then said to the elf, with a smirk on her face, while looking down at his face and putting her hands on her hips: "You sure are an attention seeking elf, aren't you?"

He responded with a similar smirk, while looking up at her: "Totally".

They both laughed and, after that, the elf got up from the throne. Claudia then said to him: "Imagine conquering the land of Xadia and being the emperor of it all".

The elf sighed and replied to her: "I would've to listen to the troubles of all the inhabitants of Xadia".

Aaravos then snickered: "But the conquering part would be the most satisfying one".

The young woman smiled at him, she totally would enjoy that part, too.

Claudia then suddenly remembered what happened before with the elven maid and she asked to the Startouch elf: "Changing subject, now that I recall, the elven maid from before had called me 'your highness' today and she had told me that you had given them all the order to call me like that. Why?"

Aaravos then responded to her question, while looking at her with truthful gentleness in his eyes: "Because you are royalty, even if you're not related nor married to me".

The young woman was surprised at the sincerity in his voice and the look in his eyes. The elf then proceeded in his talk: "You deserve this palace, this throne and even more".

He then gently caressed her face and added, with pure honesty in his voice: "And I promise you, I'll give you everything that you desire, because you truly deserve it".

Claudia was touched by the words of Aaravos; the sincerity in his voice, the gentleness, the admiration he held in his eyes for her; all of these factors were making her heart beat faster.

The young woman, in that moment, realised her feelings for the elf; they had always been there, she had just never acknowledged them. She realised that she felt that same profound admiration he had for her; she even noticed that she felt something so deep, and yet so calm and reassuring, that she couldn't really describe with simple words.

Claudia then caressed his hand still present in her face and kissed its palm. The elf, at that gesture, blushed slightly and put his other arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him and she put hers around his neck.

Both of them weren't exactly conscious about what was happening, but they both found themselves leaning in, as if one was a magnet to the other, and, while closing their eyes, they both joined their mouths in a gentle and soft kiss.

They held it for a few seconds, before their lips began to move in perfect sync, slowly, cautiously. Aaravos exhaled through his nose, not wanting to let go.

Just as Claudia felt a rush of bliss envelop her, making her heart sing with pure joy, Aaravos drew away and she instantly missed the sensation that his lips against hers made her feel.

They both stayed in silent for a simple moment, looking at each other in the eyes with a swirl of emotions in them.

  
Claudia then said to the elf softly: "Aaravos, that was... amazing". 

He responded gently with a smile: "Yes, it really was". 

He then asked, a little bit curious: "Was it your first kiss?" 

The young woman responded, blushing slightly: "Y-yeah, it was. I hope it was good enough". 

Aaravos replied: "I loved it, my dear Claudia. It was the best kiss I've ever had in my entire life, I've never felt so many emotions at once". 

The elf then gave her a soft, but brief, peck on her lips: "And I'm glad to be your first". 

The young sorceress then hugged him tightly and the arch mage returned the hug, both were happy and satisfied at how things finally turned out.


	10. Chapter 9

Aaravos was happy, happier than he had ever been before in his long life. Claudia reciprocated his feelings and, if this was what the so called love felt like, he wouldn't have let go of that so easily.   
  


At a certain point, he had become aware of the fact that the feelings for the young sorceress went deeper than simple admiration, but he'd never been able to exactly pinpoint what this feelings were.

He'd never felt love before in his life, so he didn't exactly know what love was like, but this thing with Claudia was new, even for him.

The elf wanted to protect her, to cherish her and to give her everything that she desired; he wasn't lying when he'd said that he thought the young woman deserved everything that he could've given her, because he had seen her struggling against the adversities of life and, while she had been partly damaged from them, the elf had noticed that she still had maintained that kindness, playfulness and care that she now only reserved for the people that she loved dearly.

It was a remarkable thing for him; a living being who had been in this world for such a brief period of time and had already gone through some traumatic experiences, who, regardless of those, still had kept that small bright side.

The Startouch elf hadn't been able to surpass life's troubles like that; he, instead, had decided to become a distant and manipulative being who only cared for his objectives and regarded the others as 'tools' that would've been useful in his plans.

Aaravos was used to have everything planned out, after all, he was a Startouch elf, but he wouldn't have never predicted what had happened with Claudia.

He loved the emotions that the young woman made him feel when she was around him and, when he was with her, he was able to let out a side of his character that he thought had been dead for a long time.

Claudia was thinking about what had happened with the elf, who would've thought that she could've been able to even fall in love with an elven being? If someone had told her this a couple of years ago, she would've called them freak.

She still despised the race of the elves , but Aaravos was different, he really wasn't like the others, he wasn't a monster who wanted to regard the humans as scum for simply using a tool that made their lives better.

He, an arch mage, who had been able to master all of the arcanums, believed that dark magic was the most useful source out of them all. The Startouch elf had gifted them a tool that would've helped a lot of people and finally their race could be considered as an equal against all the others.

She admired the elf, but, on a more personal level, she absolutely loved his character; she felt understood by him and she was able to notice that he deeply cared about her.

He was kind, charismatic and talented; he was a being from another world and she couldn't help but feel attracted and fascinated by him.

The young woman couldn't still quite believe that the only person who had been able to accept and understand every side of her was someone who came from another planet altogether. In her eyes he was like a fallen star, an angel, her midnight star.

Furthermore, Claudia was able to see the pain inside his eyes every day, the loneliness that he'd had to endure in this last few centuries had left in him a profound wound that not even his lust for revenge or his attitude could heal nor hide.

Nevertheless, the young mage had seen how this pain subsided whenever she was with him and, also, how her own sorrow seemed to fade when they were together; it felt like the war had never happened and she was free to express that side of her character that sometimes annoyed people, like her father, or made some others laugh and enjoy her quirkiness.

After the horrors of the war, she had believed, for a moment, that she really wouldn't have been able to regain that particular and bright side of hers but, thanks to Aaravos, she had rediscovered that playful part of her character.

They were both scarred beings, with experiences that had moulded them into what they were now, but, with each other, they could bring out better versions of themselves. They both still wanted to make the other beings suffer, but now that they finally had each other, they really didn't care about hurting people.

  
  
***

One night Claudia was searching for the Startouch elf and she was not that much surprised when she found him on the balcony of his room.

She then approached him and said: "Hey handsome, watching the stars again?"

At hearing her voice he turned around and said, with a smirk: "Oh, so now I've become handsome, huh?"

And the young woman responded to him, standing near the elf: "You've always been, Aaravos".

He then put an arm around her waist and, in doing so, he brought her closer to him and, in response, he said: "Well, in this case then, thank you for your compliment".

He gently kissed the top of her head. Afterwards Aaravos asked the young mage: "I've always been meaning to ask, how was your life at the castle of Katolis?"

Claudia then replied: "It wasn't bad, me and Soren often joked around, pranking our father and annoying him. When I was with my dad, most of the time he gave me magic lessons and, also, during that time, I used to read a lot. Moreover, I also spent a lot of time with the princes, especially with Callum".

She then smirked at him and said: "You know? He used to have a crush on me".

The elf at that responded, raising an eyebrow: "Oh, really?"

And the young sorceress added: "Yeah, he was head over hills for me and he was kind of cute when he tried to interact with me".

At that, the Startouch elf asked her, now more curious than ever: "And did you return his feelings?" 

The young sorceress laughed and responded: "No, not really. I think there might have been a time where I thought that I could return his feelings but, you know, it has always felt 'forced' for me in a certain kind of sense; like I had to return his feelings just because he was a friend of mine and he had always been kind to me".

Aaravos then smirked and responded with a simple: "Good".

The young woman, at that, smiled deviously and asked him, teasingly: "Were you perhaps jealous?"

The elf in response, circled her waist with both of his arms and said, whispering softly in her ear: "My dear, were you trying to provoke me in some way?"

The young woman blushed, but nevertheless she said boldly: "And what if I was?"

He then kissed her ear softly and slowly and, afterwards, he responded, seductively: "You don't simply try to provoke me without coming out of it unscathed".

  
He then brushed his lips against hers, without actually kissing the young mage; at that, Claudia put her arms around his neck and whispered his name softly against his lips: "Aaravos".

The Startouch elf smirked softly and kissed deeply the young sorceress and, at that, she emitted a soft moan; Claudia then started to stroke his hair and the elf groaned soundly.

Suddenly the kiss started to get more heated between the two and a noise escaped from Claudia's mouth, at that the elf took this opportunity to slip his tongue over hers.

The young woman, not entirely sure how to act in a situation like that, started to also entangle her tongue with his and, from that, she received a loudly moan from the Startouch elf.

Said elf then broke the kiss, gripped her legs and lifted the young mage, pinning her against the golden door. Then his lips fell to her neck, trailing down in small nibbles that made Claudia's hands tighten against his hair with each excruciatingly wonderful bite.

  
"Aaravos". She mumbled, the hint of a moan escaping her pant.

"This is what you get," he groaned, biting harder, more feverish as he switched to the other side of her neck.   
"When you try to make me jealous".

Aaravos chomped down after he finished talking and Claudia cried out from the mix of pain and pleasure.

The young woman then responded, still panting: "Oh, so I succeeded then".

And the elf said, his voice lowering and his mouth still on her neck: "You're mine, Claudia".

His tongue then lapped over the bite and he added: "And I'm yours, your servant".

Claudia, at that, groaned and Aaravos returned to her lips, this time kissing them hungrily and passionately.

The young woman then pulled her lips away and whispered, smiling as he met her gaze: "Aaravos, I... I love you".

The elf at that smiled affectionately at the young sorceress, overwhelming emotions present in his eyes. One of his hands left her body and landed on her cheek and he then said softly, while looking at her and caressing her burning face: "Claudia, I love you, too".

Afterwards the young woman kissed him softly and then Aaravos whispered in her lips: "Please, stay with me, tonight".

She then nodded and pecked his nose and, after that, the Startouch elf opened the door that would've led them to his chambers.

***

Viren was also watching the stars that night, tomorrow they would reach the castle of Katolis and he couldn't wait to see how much the village had changed under the rule of Ezran.

Other than that, he was very nervous, he was concerned about her daughter; he was still preoccupied and he kept thinking about what that damned elf could do to his little girl, since they were now alone and he couldn't have kept an eye on them anymore. 

He hoped with all his heart that she was fine and he wondered what she was doing right now; maybe she was also watching the stars, since she had always loved doing that.

Suddenly he recovered from his thoughts when he heard someone approaching him.

Soren approached her sister, he was still concerned about her. She was not the same person that she had been before, she rarely even joked and sometimes it was like she didn't understand his pranks.

It was strange, very strange, she didn't have that bright and quirky side anymore and for that he blamed the experience that she'd had with her father and the evil elf.

He saw her watching the stars and he said, approaching her: "Hey Clauds! What is the favorite pastime activity for the family of star?"

At hearing that, Viren rolled his eyes and asked his son, with an annoyed look: "No, Soren, I don't know that. What is it?"

He then said excitedly: "Star-gazing! Get it? Because the-"

The false Claudia, at hearing that, interrupted his son and said: "Yeah, yeah, I got it. No need for other explanations".

Soren then asked to who he believed was her sister: "I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable, but I was trying to, you know, cheer you up, since you liked those kind of jokes".

Viren, realising his mistake, soon replied: "I'm sorry, Soren, but a lot of things can change during two years".

The ex arch mage of Katolis then added, a little more softly: "I'm not that kind of person anymore".

After that Soren looked at her sympathetically: "I'm sorry that you had to endure that experience".

Viren then said, while smiling slightly: "Thank you for your concern, but now it's in the past. We have to focus on the future".

Suddenly, the ex arch mage of Katolis asked his son, curious about one thing: "I've always wanted to ask you something, did you really think that I... err.. I mean... our father had never been proud of you?"

At hearing that, Soren looked down and said to her: "Yes, I've always thought that he only regarded me as a tool and that I was, in his eyes, a constant disappointment".

Soren then started crying softly: "I've always wanted to make him proud of me, ever since we were kids. When our mother asked us to choose, I instantly choose to stay with our dad because I wanted to be able to show him that, even if I didn't have any magical power, I could still be a good and talented son".

Viren looked down, feeling guilty, but Soren didn't stop there: "So I became a crown guard, the youngest member of it in history, and I tried to do well in what I was best at, but, even that, didn't seem to make our father proud of me".

Viren then put his hand on his shoulder and said remorseful: "I'm sorry if our father made you feel like that, I think that he, in a certain kind of sense, would have been proud of you".

At that, Soren looked up to his sister and asked, sobbing: "You do?"

And Viren then nodded sincerely: "I think that, if things had stayed the same, he would've eventually noticed all of your efforts".

At that Soren hugged who he believed was his sister and said: "Thanks. I've missed you, Claudia".

Viren then returned the hug and, sincerely, he said:

  
"I've missed you too, Soren".


	11. Chapter 10

Viren couldn't believe at what he was seeing; Katolis really became a better kingdom under the reign of King Ezran, there was a peaceful and content atmosphere in the air. He could also notice that poverty had made a spectacular increase, since there were only a few people on the streets without a home.

Viren had to admit to himself that Ezran had been able, with his politics, to succeed in places where he and Harrow had never managed to.

Once they arrived at the castle, Ezran quickly resumed his role as a king while the others went to their separate chambers, Callum was thinking about what had happened in Lux Aurea. If he had to be sincere with himself, he never stopped doing that.

It was strange, he still couldn't believe that the court of the Sunfire elves had been conquered by Viren and that the mysterious elven arch mage, whom he had been trying to discover the origin of since he had read the letter of his stepfather, was an evil and villainous being.

He could now understand why the elves had never wanted to speak to him about this being, it was clear to the prince that he needed to be defeated, who knows how much suffering he could bring to other people?

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the knock on his door.

"Come in", he said to whoever wanted to enter and he was not surprised when the figure of Rayla set foot in his chamber.

Said girl instantly noticed the pensive look on his boyfriend face and, when she approached him, she sat on his bed near him and asked softly: "Are you okay, Callum?"

The teenage boy responded: "Not really, I still can't believe that the war had never ended and, also, it's a pity that the arch mage I was trying to get informations on is a bloodthirsty and sadistic person".

Rayla then put a hand on his shoulder and said, caring: "I know, Callum. It's also hard for me to digest those terrible informations; but, if you need any kind of help of some sort, I am here, you can count on me". 

The boy then looked at her with a soft look and responded: "Thank you Rayla, for everything".

He then kissed her lips gently and softly. After breaking the kiss, the Moonshadow elf asked the mage: "Callum, what do you think about Claudia? Do you think there's something strange going on with her?"

He then pondered about her question for a moment; if he had learned one thing in this two years was to never doubt her girlfriend's suspicions. Moreover, she was almost right every time.

He then responded to her: "Now that I think about it, there is something strange going on with her, I don't know, it looks like she is 'not here', in a certain kind of sense".

Rayla then responded: "Exactly! It's the same feeling that I have!"

Callum said: "Maybe we're just paranoid, but we have to keep an eye on her". Rayla, at that, nodded and hugged her boyfriend.

Suddenly they heard a bang on the door and soon after a Sunfire elf, accompanied by a guard, told to the two adolescents: "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, your highness. I'm a survivor from the attack on Lux Aurea; I had heard from the high priest, before the tragedy happened, that you were coming to our city to search for a mage who would have been able to teach you something about Sun magic".

The boy, at hearing that, nodded and the elf continued: "I may not be an high mage, but I have a vast knowledge in Sun magic. If you would like, I could teach you something about it".

Callum looked at Rayla, then at the Sunfire elf and smiled. He said excitedly to the Sunfire elf: "Yes! I would gladly have you as a teacher! What's your name?"

The man smiled and then said to the prince: "Amiel, sir. It's a pleasure for me to be your teacher".

Rayla from one side was happy at seeing her boyfriend excited to learn new things about magic but, from another, the Moonshadow elf was terrified and scared. That was because the reality that they all managed to built in those last two years was being threatened.

She didn't want another war and she was furious about the fact that Viren had been able to come back to life, the man who had trapped who knows how many Moonshadow elves inside some coins.

He needed to suffer, not to bring pain and suffering to those who don't deserve it, like this Sunfire elf, and she vowed to herself that she would've been the one to end his miserable life, once and for all.

***

Ezran was pained at seeing her aunt face when he communicated her the news about the fate of Lux Aurea. She had a terrified and broken look on her face and, at the end, she asked him about Janai.

He looked down for a moment, before saying to her, with a sad voice:

"Viren and Aaravos managed to 'incapacitate', that's the term that they used, Janai. I don't really know what happened to her, aunt Amaya, but we can only hope that she's alright".

At hearing that, the woman sobbed and started to visibly cry; Ezran had never seen her aunt in this kind of state before, he knew that she cared a lot about the Sunfire Queen, after all, they were in a relationship.

The young king just wanted to comfort her aunt, to tell her that everything was going to be fine but, even he couldn't bring himself to say something like that, since he didn't quite believe that things would've been good from then on.

Katolis had offered a stay to the elves that had managed to escape from the city; they weren't much, but Ezran would've done everything in his power to guarantee them food and provisions.

***

Aaravos was the first to wake up between the two of them, he was now observing Claudia sleeping.

Her legs were entangled with his and one of her arms was around his stomach; he was softly stroking her hair. Her face was so calm and relaxed when she was sleeping, she was beautiful and he considered himself a lucky man to have her in his life.

Suddenly he noticed that the young woman was waking up, so he lightly kissed her forehead. He then mumbled good morning and she responded, still a little bit sleepy: "Good morning to you too".

Claudia then put her head in the crook of his neck and, while kissing it gently, she said: "That was the most beautiful night I've ever had in my life".

He then responded, moaning slightly at her ministrations: "Glad to hear that you liked it. I get from it that you also slept well, right?"

He then brought her closer to him while she answered, nodding: "M-hmm".

Afterwards the young mage left his neck and, when she did that, the elf pulled her in for a slow kiss; he started to caress her back and the young woman moaned at the gesture that he had made.

Then the kiss started to get more passionate and hungry than before and, at that, Aaravos positioned himself to be on top of the young mage.

At the very moment when things had started to get more heated between the two, a voice from the outside distorted the pair from their activities: "I'm sorry if I am disturbing you, your majesty, but Miss Claudia was not in her rooms this morning, in addition to that, we've searched for her and she is nowhere to be found; we fear that something might have happened to her".

Aaravos, at hearing that, groaned and sighed, while Claudia giggled amused; he then responded annoyed: "I know, Miss Claudia is here with me right now. She helped me with some paperwork and she fell asleep, she opted for staying in my chambers".

The maid outside then responded: "Alright, sir. I've also come to inform you that breakfast will be ready in ten minutes".

The elf replied: "Fine, you are dismissed".

He then turned to the young mage and said to her: "Looks like we have to get up, dear".

Claudia sighed and then said to him, smirking: "Actually, you are the one who is required, after all, you're the king".

The Startouch elf replied, while whispering in her ear seductively: "And you're my Mage Queen".

She blushed furiously and said to him, flustered: "B-but we're not even married! Slow down, elf boy".

Aaravos, at hearing her saying that, bursted out laughing and told her: "My dear, I know that. I was just teasing you".

He then pecked her lips softly: "Now, let's get ready for the day".

Later that day, Aaravos was sitting on the throne with Claudia casually sitting on his legs, they were both reading and filling in a stack of paperwork when they both heard a rumbling sound coming not far from the city.

Aaravos instantly recognised it and said to Claudia: "Claudia, put on yourself an illusion of your father".

He then smirked: "We have to put off a little show".

At that the young woman smiled quite evilly and went off to prepare her illusion. The Startouch elf then said coldly and assertively to a guard: "Go get the Sun staff, I'll be needing it".

Afterwards, the arch mage went outside and saw the source of the noise; the dragon queen was flying above his protective barrier on the city of Lux Aurea and, when she spotted him , she said to the elf, furiously: "Aaravos, cease this madness or I will have to destroy your precious barrier and risk the lives of your servants".

Said elf then casted on himself a spell that would've amplified his voice and replied to the queen: "Zubeia, how long has it been since our last encounter? Three hundred of years or so, if I remember correctly".

The dragon queen growled, angrier than before: "I won't give you another opportunity, cease this madness RIGHT. NOW!"

In that precise moment both Claudia, now transfigured in the form of her father, and the guard who Aaravos had sent to retrieve the sun staff, reached the Startouch elf.

The Sunfire elf gave the arch mage the staff and Aaravos said to the dragon queen, with a challenging look: "I would like to see you try to destroy this barrier".

Zubeia then said to him: "Then you leave me no choice, lots of deaths will be on your conscience, just like the human lives of Elarion".

Aaravos then replied, angrily: "The deaths of Elarion were Sol Regem's fault, not mine! I didn't kill them, I simply gifted them with an instrument that would've helped them reach the so desired equality that they had wanted!".

The dragon queen roared: "Watch your army of Sunfire elves fall as you watched the humans of Elarion falling!"

The queen then spat fire and created a storm full of lightings and thunders to try to break the magical barrier down. Unfortunately for her, the spell resisted and nor the storm nor the fire made by queen managed to even lessen its resistance.

At seeing her failed attempt, both Claudia and Aaravos laughed maniacally and the elf then said to her: "What a cute show, now it's our turn".

Both of them gripped the Sun staff and chanted a dark magic spell: _ **"Rewop rouy wollaws ew, thgim rouy wollaws ew, traeh rouy wollaws ew".**_

The queen easily recognised the spell and tried to save her life by escaping, but unfortunately she didn't manage to do it. This time there was no Rayla or some other dissident that could've interrupted the ritual and the dragon queen soon realised that this was going to be her end.

Before all of her life was consumed by the two mages, her last thought had been of Azymondias, her son and, soon after, her whole world went black.


	12. Chapter 11

Claudia couldn't believe at what she was witnessing, they had managed to take down a dragon, and not just any dragon, but the their queen. She was feeling her power flowing through her veins, it was intoxicating and addictive,and she suddenly found herself wanting more.

The young sorceress had never felt that kind of sensation before in her life, performing dark magic had never felt so good and relishing. Suddenly she was diverted by her thoughts because of the voice of the Startouch elf who asked her, still also savouring the new amount of power that they both now possessed: "How are you feeling, Claudia?"

She then responded to the elf: "I'm feeling great! This power is so... so addictive, I want more".

Aaravos then replied: "Fret not, my dear, for if you desire it, you will have it".

The young woman then said, excitedly: "Aaravos! I've just realised one thing, we have a dragon corpse! A lot of things can be done with it".

The Startouch elf responded, with an equal excitement: "Indeed you're right! We could do a lot of spells".

He then ordered to the guards assertively: "You heard her, reduce to pieces the remains of the dragon".

The young woman was excited, she couldn't wait to start to work with those elements to discover new kinds of spells that she never even performed before.

Later that day, Aaravos entered the study where Claudia had relegated herself to learn all the incantations that could've been done with the remains of a storm dragon, he noticed that she was reading a dark magic book of some kind, he then said to her: "My dear, are of your enjoyment the elements that the guards have brought you so far?"

At that, Claudia looked up from her book and she responded happily: "I love them! Did you know that with only this little amount of fur", she then pointed at the fur present on her desk: "You could perform eleven different types of spells".

She then got up and grabbed a dark blue horn and showed it to the arch mage: "And this, with this you could perform who knows how many dark magic incantations connected to the sky arcanum! For now I've only discovered twenty types, I have yet to research for others".

The elf smiled at seeing her excitement; the light present in her eyes when she talked about dark magic in general was, for him, beautiful and radiant. He then said: "I love the way you talk about magic, I'm very glad that at least someone has been able to appreciate my discovery".

The young mage, at hearing that, approached the elf and said softly: "And I am thankful to you for having gifted us this magnificent resource".

She looked down and then added without thinking, a bit quietly: "Without it I would be nothing".

Aaravos heard her and said to the young mage: "Don't you ever say something like that. Even without dark magic, you're still an intelligent and amazing woman".

Claudia then told him, a little annoyed: "What do you know about it? After all, you're an arch mage, you were born with everything".

At that the Startouch elf sighed and looked down, he afterwards responded softly: "It's true, you're right, I was born with everything; but that doesn't mean my life was easy".

He then added while looking at her: "Only one Star mage can be born in generations, imagine the pressure I had to endure when my people discovered that I had been born with that kind of ability".

The young woman looked down for a moment, the elf noticed her reaction and then proceeded to tell her: "It was horrible; I had to live up to other's people expectations. Now, imagine the amount of pressure put on me when they all found out that I also had the ability to master all of the arcanums, it had been worse than before".

Claudia asked him: "It couldn't have been easy for you".

The elf then replied: "No, indeed it wasn't. Being an arch mage meant also to be a guardian of some sorts; a guardian of 'balance', as they all liked to call it".

He then continued by saying: "By the others standards, I shouldn't have done anything with the powers that had been gifted to me and I should have only intervened when large scale problems occurred; but I wanted to make a real difference".

The elf then looked at her with a fond smile: "I wanted to find a way to give humans something that they could've used to reach the equality that they desired, so I researched and discovered the seventh source, dark magic".

He then added remorseful: "But I was wrong; I thought that by gifting them this new source, things would've finally resolved between the three races, but the arrogance and bigotry of the elves and dragons was too radical. In my years of imprisonment I finally realised that the only way to reach this equality between elves, humans and dragons is to eradicate the source of all problems, which is primal magic".

Claudia then said: "So you really are willing to give up also most of your powers".

He nodded and added: "I was not lying when I said that the first time; it is indeed the only way. Dark magic would be an universal source and everyone could wield it if they so desired".

Afterwards he said to her sincerely: "I'm so fond of you, humans, because you were able to create great things even without the use of magic".

The elf then caressed her face gently and said softly: "Claudia, you're the perfect example that you would still be a resourceful, intelligent, creative and talented person even without dark magic. Your abilities come from you, they don't depend by a simple tool, and I truly appreciate them all".

The young mage, at hearing those words, smiled softly. She never considered this view of her that the elf was showing her and she had to admit that she found herself agreeing with him; dark magic was just a tool that she was able to master thanks to her abilities; dark magic didn't define her, she was the one who defined it.

Claudia was immensely grateful to the elf for having made her realise those things. So the young mage pulled him for a long and gentle kiss and said to the arch mage sincerely: "Thanks, Aaravos". The Startouch elf then responded to her smiling: "Anytime, my dear".

***

Ezran was fulfilling his royal duties when Ibis, the skywing elf that had helped them during the war, had entered the castle with little Zym in his arms. He instantly noted the desperation present in both of them and asked, preoccupied: "Zym! What are you doing here? Why are you so far away from the Storm Spire?"

Ibis the responded, agitated: "King Ezran, a terrible event has occurred. The queen of the dragons has been killed by Aaravos and Viren during her attempt to attack the Sunfire elves' city".

The young king was shocked; he couldn't believe at what the skywing elf was saying, but a simple look at the sad and grieving expression present on the face of the young dragon made him realise that what Ibis was telling him was, in the end, the painful and raw truth.

He then asked Ibis: "Ibis, why did you brought him here?"

The elf then responded: "I brought the dragon prince here because Xadia is not a safe place no more; with the queen dead, we're without any protection, nobody knows what the next move of Aaravos will be".

Ezran then nodded and said: "I understand, we have to protect and hide him, the fewer people know about Zym staying here in Katolis, the better".

The sky mage agreed with the young king and added: "I will go and warn the other skywing elves' tribes of the danger that Aaravos poses; take care King Ezran".

He then proceeded to bow to the king and the kid smiled; he really hoped that everything would've been alright in the end, but the chances of a bright future were getting weaker and weaker every passing day.

***

Callum was practicing sun magic in the courtyard with the mage Amiel; he had to admit that this kind of magic was, by far, the most difficult one. That was because sun magic was based on intense and raw power and, to master it, he needed to tap into the fiery heat of the sun.

It was quite different also because he wasn't used to think from that kind of perspective; while the other types of magic have been relatively calm and easy to tap into because of the inner connection he had managed to make based on the values that they represent, Sun magic portrayed this energetic and uncontrollable power that he had never seen in the other sources that he knew.

After another failed attempt he said annoyed: "Why can't I get it? It's so frustrating".

The Sunfire elf then responded: "Prince Callum, you're doing it wrong; you have also to take in consideration that sun magic can be both life giving and destructive".

He then pondered for a minute or so and said to him: "I have an idea. You see that little plant over there?"

He pointed at it and Callum nodded: "You could try to help that plant grow by channeling the sunlight. This time, try to also think about the connection that you have with the earth arcanum, it could help you".

The young mage then proceeded to do the task given by Amiel, he tried to think about the connection that he had with the plant; the way he could feel its needs and what exactly it needed to grow, he found out that the plant was indeed in need of some sunlight and so he tried to reach into that healing part of sun magic.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a blinding light coming out of his hands and he couldn't believe at what he was seeing; he finally managed to do it, he created a connection with sun magic for the first time.

He then said excitedly: "Amiel, look! I did it!"

The Sunfire elf congratulated the young mage: "A really good job, Prince Callum! I'm very proud of you".

Unfortunately, the uplifting moment didn't last for long because his girlfriend then approached him with a preoccupied expression on her face and said to him: "Callum, something terrible has happened, our presence is required in the throne room, you've to come with me right now".

Afterwards, the young mage quickly thanked the Sunfire elf and, after that, he went with the Moonshadow elf and both headed towards the throne room of the castle of Katolis.

***

He was shocked and devastated; the queen of the dragons had died, Zubeia had died and now Zym was without a mother. He knew what kind of pain the young dragon was experiencing, after all, he'd had to endure it thrice in his life, since both of parents and his stepfather had already passed away.

First Lux Aurea and now this, who knew what the next move of Viren and Aaravos would've been? The young dragon didn't deserve this, in fact, none of them deserved seeing their futures crumbling down.

There were only Rayla, Zym, Ezran and him inside the room; Rayla had suggested not to tell anything to the two brothers because she still didn't trust Claudia enough to tell her about the presence of the dragon prince in Katolis and, moreover, all of them didn't want to explain to Soren the complicated reasons why both Callum and Rayla were suspicious of his young sister, since the royal guard was blinded by the happiness he still was feeling regarding the rediscovery of Claudia.

The prince of Katolis was also angry at the elven arch mage and Viren; they didn't have no rights to do the terrible atrocities that they had done until now, both of them had only brought pain and suffering to the people of this world.

The three of them knew that hope could be found in Callum and his prowess in doing magic, he needed to master the remaining primal sources.

He was making progress with sun magic but he didn't know what to do about the star one; the only startouch elf that he knew the existence of was Aaravos and he didn't really know others besides him.

However, the prince didn't want to lose hope, he believed that one day he would have been able to eventually master all of the primal sources; he didn't know why, but he felt that this event was, somehow, written in the stars, like a great destiny that was only waiting its moment to be unlocked.


	13. Chapter 12

Two weeks passed since the death of the Queen of the dragons, there was present an atmosphere full of anxiety and fear, since nobody knew what the next move of the elven arch mage would have been.

In that period of time, attacks from dragons directed towards the city of Lux Aurea were frequent, but none of them had managed to destroy the magical barrier present around the court of the Sunfire elves; some of these dragons perished in those attempts, although the causes of these deaths were still a mystery.

Nobody knew what kind of weapon or resource Aaravos used in killing his opponents, since the dragons that had returned communicated that no attempt at their lives had been made from the arch mage.

Many elven reigns agreed on the fact that Aaravos was a menace for everyone, his deeds had not been forgotten by all and they were preparing themselves for an upcoming possible attack from the arch mage; but not everything was peaches and dandelions amongst the elves.

The skywing elves' tribes, led by their tribal chief, Enlil, wouldn't have intervened, in fact they weren't even preparing their troops for an eventual attack.

The chief had instead proclaimed a neutral stance in case of a future war against the forces of the Startouch elf and the human mage. This whole situation was quite ironical, since the skywing chief had been one of the first to have been informed by the mage Ibis about the death of Zubeia.

These kinds of elves thought that they would have been fine, the majority of them were blinded by their enormous ego and their lack of loyalty, they thought that they themselves weren't a target; instead these elves believed that Aaravos in some way wouldn't have made an attempt to conquer their tribes, since no sky mage had contributed at the capture and imprisonment of the arch mage in the mirror.

The skywing elves were only thinking about themselves during a situation when they all needed to get along and put aside their differences in order to survive the wrath of the now ruler of Lux Aurea.

***

During those two weeks, Callum had been able to make some progress in wielding Sun magic, even though he still had a lot to learn about it.

He was starting to have weird dreams since the first time he had harnessed sun magic; he was dreaming about the mysterious cube which had once belonged to the elven arch mage Aaravos and a strange portal.

These dreams weren't making any sense; in some of them he was wielding the key to find something, in some others he had dreamt about a strange mirror which he somehow knew was a portal of some sorts.

These elements were lately something recurring in his night dreams; though he still didn't know what they meant or why he kept seeing those things while he slept.

The last time that the subject of the cube had been brought up was while he was training his sun magic's abilities and Claudia had been there with him, observing the way he could do primal magic.

"How did you managed to do it?" She had asked him at a certain point that day.

He had then responded: "After having wielded dark magic for the first time, I had a strange vision revolving a strange cube and becoming a dark mage. I refused the temptation that lies within dark magic and-" but Callum hadn't been able to finish his phrase because Claudia attention had perked up at the word 'cube' and had instantly asked him:

"Wait, a cube you said?"

The young mage then had replied: "Yes, a cube. Do you perhaps know what I'm talking about?"

The false Claudia had told him, calibrating carefully her words: "I may have an idea of what you're talking about, but I want to be sure it is what I'm thinking it is".

At that, the young mage had pondered the words said by the former dark sorceress; in that time he didn't know if he could trust her, since he had some suspicions and the words of Rayla still ringed in his ears.

He had decided then to test her. He had said to her: "The cube is a key, don't ask me of what, I still don't know, but I know for sure that it had belonged to Aaravos once".

The false Claudia then had replied, with a perfect excuse: "Then it is what I feared it was. I don't know a lot about it, but I've heard once that damned elf saying something about a cube of some sorts".

The faker then had proceeded to tell, while lying smoothly and feigning guilt: "Unfortunately I was not in the best of conditions to actually pay attention to what he had said that time, so I don't think I can be of any help, I'm sorry".

The young mage had observed carefully his childhood friend; he had seen and heard the guilt in her face and voice, the pain hidden in her eyes while she was talking about the period when she had been imprisoned.

In the end Callum had reached to the conclusion that his and Rayla's suspicions had been merely false assumptions; in front of him he had a young woman, his childhood friend, who had suffered and was feeling a tremendous amount of guilt for having simply brought back her father. If she really had been a spy or something like that, she wouldn't have told him anything about the cube; it was an important information the one that Claudia had shared with him, because he now knew that the elven arch mage was searching for the cube.

It was only too bad that the young mage had decided to believe at what he had seen with his eyes, instead of having also listened to his inner voice that every moment had tried to remind him that there was indeed something wrong with the appearance of Claudia.

Viren, on the other hand, had been happy of how things had turned out with the prince; the ex arch mage of Katolis had deliberately told him those words to simply gain his trust with a small information like that, if he wanted to have the cube, he had to slowly gain the trust of those who were closest to it. The dark forces were making its moves in the shadows, in the lair of the enemy, and little by little the young teenagers were being blinded by its lies and acts. 

***

The skywing mage Ibis had received in the last couple of days a letter by the chief tribe, Enlil; he requested his presence at the court.

It was strange indeed, since the last time the sky mage had been there, the two had heavily discussed about what should've been done and what stance the Skywing's tribes should've taken.

The elf optimistically thought that the chief had probably seen reason and wanted to finally talk to him in person about his change of heart, this idea that he held was what finally had convinced him in going to the court of the Skywing's elves.

When he arrived to the central tribe, he instantly was able to notice the calm and unsettling atmosphere that was present in the place; it was strange indeed, since the central tribe was famous amongst the Skywing's elves for its loudness and liveliness. 

Once he reached the biggest tent where he knew the tribe chief was, he was surprised at what he found in front of him; besides Enlil there were the infamous Startouch elf Aaravos and a young woman which at the moment he didn't recognise. He exclaimed at the chief,while he attempted to attack the other two with a sky spell : "Enlil! Get away from them".

Aaravos had managed to parry the attack from the sky mage and the Skywing chief, at hearing the words of Ibis, said smirking:

"And what makes you think I want to get away from them?"

The eyes of the sky mage widened instantly, horror and fear dawned on his face; he couldn't believe at what he was witnessing, he didn't want to believe, but unfortunately the words uttered by Enlil were all true.

He quickly connected the dots and said to the three: "You have been making trades with him for all this time; the dragons, those who have not died, they weren't spared, you just weren't at Lux Aurea".

The startouch elf, at hearing the reasoning of the sky mage, clapped and added amused: "I'm impressed, you've figured it out. Although I would substitute the word 'trades' with 'voluntary submission'".

Ibis then accused angrily the chief: "You have handed over all of the tribes of the Skywing's elves! Do you even realise what you have done?"

Enlil replied calmly: "We would've all died if we had pledged our allegiance to the other elves, what chances do you think we would've had against a Startouch arch mage and a dark sorceress who alone have conquered the golden city of Lux Aurea?"

Claudia then said amused: "Curious, very curious. A Skywing's elf who thinks about the others first and not himself".

At hearing her words, Ibis turned his attention on her for the first time and instantly he was hit by a sudden realisation; he had seen this young woman before, now that he recalled, he had seen her in Katolis the last time he had gone there, he then said to her nervously: "But, but... how can you be here? Y-You were... unless..."

Claudia smirked evilly when she saw the expression of sheer panic and fear on the face of the sky mage and, at that, she asked him while also laughing slightly: "I think you have encountered my double, good to know".

The young sorceress then added, this time coldly: "Now, we want to know where the dragon prince is. I won't repeat myself another time".

Ibis looked at her and said defiantly: "You're a fool if you think I will tell you anything about his current location".

Claudia, at that, looked at him with pure disgust in her eyes and said to him angered: "How dare you talk to me like that! Elven scum".

But before she could do anything to him, Aaravos intervened and said: "Now, there's no need for a conflict".

Afterwards he told to Claudia gently: "My dear, I will now show you that there are more 'persuasive' ways to convince an enemy to confess".

The Startouch elf neared Ibis and grabbed forcefully his chin, the arch mage then proceeded to look at the Skywing elf in the eyes while he chanted a dark magic spell: " ** _Em ot sterces ruoy laever_** ". Ibis found himself unable to look away from the eyes of the Startouch elf and, without even realising it, he spoke aloud the location of the dragon prince.

Aaravos then turned his head towards the young sorceress and said amused: "What a coincidence, Katolis really seems like the fulcrum of our attentions".

He then took the staff of the sky mage and corrupted the primal stone present in the middle, afterwards the Startouch elf passed the corrupted staff to Claudia and said to her: "If you want to finish the work, dear, I surely won't stop you now".

The young woman at that smirked and chanted repeatedly the incantation that would've trapped Ibis' soul inside a coin and, after finishing her work, she asked to the arch mage: "Can we go home now? I miss already my golden city".

Aaravos then looked at her gently and replied: "Of course we can, after all our job here is finished".

Afterwards he turned to the chief and told him coldly: "I think now our allegiance has been stipulated. Have fun with my Skywing's servants".

After that, the couple headed out of the tent.

Enlil, the great chief of the Skywing's elves couldn't have been more happier than before; he believed he had made the right choice in siding with the arch mage, after all he and his fellows would have been spared from the wrath of the Startouch elf.

The Skywing elf wasn't stupid; he knew when a battle was lost before it even began and he was convinced that the others wouldn't have stood a chance against Aaravos and his forces.

When the war would've begun, he would've been proud to declare the side he had taken, glory days awaited the race of the Skywing's elves, of that he was sure of.


	14. Chapter 13

_Chaos was ensuing in the castle of Katolis; the buildings were burning, the army of Katolis was battling the one of the arch mage, the humans were losing, it looked like there was no hope left for the kingdom.   
  
_

_Soon also this human domain would’ve fallen in the hands of Aaravos, it was only a matter of time._

_Aaravos found himself battling against a young boy who, somehow, knew how to wield the primal sources._

_He had sent his beloved to retrieve his key and, once she would've arrived with it, they would've finally won the war and they would've cut off the connection that every being is able to make with an arcanum._

_The both of them would be unstoppable if he accomplished his main goal._

_He said to the young boy: "Surrender, young mage. The end is approaching, you're no match for me"._

_The teenager responded: "Never! I will never bow to you!"_

_The Startouch elf then replied, with an evil glint in his eyes: "Then you shall die, like all of the other dissidents"._

_After that they started to battle; Aaravos had to admit that the human boy had talent, but he indeed was no match for him he still required a lot of training; his spells were rushed and raw, they lacked of self control and precision, so it hadn’t been a surprise that, after ten minutes of fighting, the elf had managed to defeat the human mage._

_He said to him: "Any last words?"_

_The human boy looked at him with eyes full of disgust and hate and told him growling: "May you be cursed for eternity!"._

_The elf smirked and prepared himself to end the insolent teenage boy's life but, before he could do anything, a mysterious loud sound, a rumble, distinguished itself from all of the others._

_He had never heard anything resembling that sound before in his life; the instinct of the elf said to him to reach the place from where the unsettling noise had come from, he had a strange feeling about it and he didn't like it, not even one bit._

_He spared the boy because his head had now started to spin, he didn't know why but he felt like this headache was connected to the loud sound from before._

_The Startouch elf then started to follow his instinct, he was trying to find the source of that noise and he instantly found himself in the castle's corridors, he was starting to dislike the situation more since he remembered Claudia going off towards the direction of said castle back then when they had parted ways._

_Instantly a rush of anxiety flooded him; he was seeing corpses of soldiers, some of them were still alive while some others were dead; he was just hoping now that Claudia was alright, that she had managed to exit the castle and that she was now trying to find him in the immense chaos created by the battle._

_With each passing moment, his headache was getting worse and worse, he took it as a sign that he was reaching his destination, soon he would've found out the source of that mysterious rumble._   
  


_'Please, let her be alright, please' was the mantra that the Startouch elf was repeating to himself._   
  


_His fears and woes had only increased since he was the sole being in the halls of the castle standing, the unconscious and death bodies of both elven and human soldiers were the only beings keeping him company in his way._

_At a certain point his head had started to pound incessantly and he took it as a sign that he had finally reached his destination, behind those close door he would've finally discovered what or who had created that rumble that had managed to spin his head and had rendered those soldiers unable to battle anymore._

  
_When he opened the huge wooden doors, nothing could've prepared him at what he was witnessing in that moment; at the center of the room there was the lying figure of Claudia, her hair was all white, not even a black streak was present in those._

_Aaravos instantly reached her side and, at looking at her more attentively, he discovered that the worst and nightmarish thing about it all was that she wasn't breathing anymore_.

  
  


The elf suddenly woke up startled, he looked at his right side and saw that Claudia was still there with him, alive and breathing soundly.

They were still in his chamber in the castle of Lux Aurea, he didn't know what hour it was, probably past midnight or something. 

He thought about the nightmare that he'd had and he put his hands in his head; he knew that Claudia was a human being and, because of this, she not only had a shorter life span than his, but she was also more vulnerable to death itself. 

It was no secret now; he loved the young woman dearly and, if she would've let him, he would've liked to stand by her side till death would've parted them. 

Even if he had already made amends with the conclusion that, one day, he would have had to witness her death, he couldn't however stand the thought of parting ways with her so soon; he knew that what he had just dreamed was a nightmare, at least that was how he wanted to view it, but the simple image of her death body was everything to send waves of nausea and anxiety in his body. 

That dammed dream was still etched in his mind like a tattoo, the atmosphere was becoming unbearable and so he got up from the bed and went out to the balcony to catch some air and, hopefully, to clear his mind from the uncomfortable images present in his mind. 

  
  


Not too long after Claudia woke up from the cold and noticed the absence of the elf from their bed, the young woman then saw that the doors leading to the balcony were open and so she got up, wondering why Aaravos was up at this hour.

  
“Hey, are you alright?"   
  


She asked him gently; the elf in that moment noticed her presence, he then looked at her and nodded, choosing not to say anything.

After seeing his reaction, the young woman reached him and came by his side; it was strange, she had expected a playful comeback from him, not a simple nod. What also managed to increase the concern of the young woman was the fact that preoccupation and uneasiness were present in his eyes.  
  


She was so lost in her train of thought that she almost didn't notice the voice of the elf saying to her: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left the doors open".

Claudia then observed more carefully the elf; he was looking down, his hands were gripping tightly the balcony rail and she managed to notice how lost in his thoughts he was.   
  


She then said to him concerned: "Something isn't right, I can feel it, please love tell me what it is".   
  


The young woman also proceeded to cup his face in her hands and then started to caress his cheeks gently.

The elf sighed softly and closed his eyes, leaning into her caresses and letting his thoughts flow freely; he didn’t want to lose this sensation, he didn’t want to lose her and everything that this young woman had started to make him feel. He wanted to protect and to cherish her, nobody would even manage to bring her away from him.   
  


He then opened his eyes, in them there was present a profound and unconditional love, and finally said to her: “I had a dream, we were battling the forces of Katolis and you had died”.

The eyes of the young woman widened slightly, the elf had noticed that but he chose to continue: “There were bodies everywhere near the place where I found you. I-I wasn’t there to protect you, I was too late, I’m sorry”.

Claudia noticed the pained expression present in the beautiful face of her Startouch elf and so she said: “Aaravos, it’s okay, I’m still alive and I’m here with you”.

The arch mage then said to her: “Claudia, I’m afraid of losing you. I know that with you being human our time together is already relatively short”.

He looked down for a brief moment and sighed before continuing with his talk: “I’m terrified at the thought of losing you too soon, I don’t want you to die in any kind of battle”.   
  


At hearing that, the young woman finally understood his attitude. She was also conscious of the fact that their time together was bound to end one day, most likely it would’ve ended with her death, and that for him this amount of time was nothing compared to his lifespan, because of this, she aspired to make their shared moments memorable.   
  


So the young mage responded to him softly: “I understand your worries, trust me”. 

She then looked at him with a resolute look: “I promise you that I will do anything in my power to stay alive, I won’t die in battle”.

Afterwards Claudia added with a gentle tone and a sincere smile: “I want to stay with you even after all of our objectives will be accomplished, I want to rule by your side as your empress and I just love you too much tolet these dreams go”.   
  


The heart of the elf started to pound faster at the words of his beloved, he circled her waist and gave the young mage a soft but stunning kiss. Claudia returned his kiss with the same amount of intensity and love and, after breaking it, Aaravos said to her: “I will protect you, my dear. I also want those dreams of yours to become a reality”.   
  


The young sorceress whispered softly to him: “I love you, my midnight star”.   
  


The elf then replied to her, smiling: “I love you too, my dear human”.  
  


He then kissed her again and, after that, Claudia said: “Let’s go to bed, tomorrow it’s going to be a long day”.

The arch mage then nodded and both returned inside his chambers. It was a promise he intended to make, he would’ve protected her and he would’ve made sure to make her avoid every situation where her life could’ve been in peril. 


	15. Chapter 14

_Callum was in the middle of_ _a_ _battle; people were dying and soldiers were battling against the forces of Aaravos._

_The last time he had seen his friends was before the war had begun, he was concerned for them, but he had a key role to play in this battle. He knew that he had to eventually confront the arch mage and, even if he didn't fully believe in the fact that his skills would've been able to defeat completely the elf, he firmly thought that, at least, he would've been able to slow him down._

_Ultimately the human boy had found himself battling the arch mage, the Startouch elf was strong and his spells were more efficient than his, it was quite obvious the fact that Aaravos had years and years of experience compared to him._

_The teenage boy knew_ _,_ _deep down in his heart_ _,_ _that this would've been his end, but he would've fought till his last breath. When the arch mage managed to finally defeat him, he asked him: "Any last words?"_

_He then told him, with venom dripping from his voice: "May you be cursed for eternity!"._

_At that moment Callum saw that the elf was preparing himself to kill him, he was terrified, he had wanted to do many more things in his life, he would've wanted to stay with Rayla, to explore the places of Xadia, to learn many more things about primal magic and to stay with his friends, sharing many more beautiful moments._

_A single tear stroke the face of the young teenager and h_ e _closed his eyes, he wanted Rayla and his friends to be the last memory of his life, not the image of the Startouch elf taking his life away._

 _He was waiting for a blow of some sorts from him, but that blow never came; instead,_ _he_ _heard a loud rumble and, when he opened his eyes, Callum saw that Aaravos was nowhere to be found._

_The dream then changed and the prince of Katolis had to admit that the previous one had been a real and terrible nightmare._

_He noticed that he was in a strange place, in a cave of some kind to be precise. He was surrounded by darkness, the entrance of the cave was not visible and the only light present in the place was coming from a strange mirror present in it._

_He instantly recognised the object and thought: 'Of course you were going to be here', his line of thought proceeded and he added: 'If you are here, then the key won't be far from you'._

_In thinking that, the key instantly materialised in his hand. He was back with those two objects; the mirror and the cube and he didn't really know what to make of them._

_Those two were a constant in his dreams lately and, even if he had found himself in different places every time he had dreamt of them, they never ceased to torment him._

_Suddenly something happened to the key; the symbol that represented the star primal source started to glow. He then came closer to the mirror and he was able to observe that the brightness of the symbol had increased._

_Afterwards the young teenager touched the glass of the mysterious object and he noticed_ _that_ _his hand_ _had managed to go_ _through it_ _._

 _In his previous dreams he had never been able to touch said object, Callum knew that the mirror was a portal of some sorts because in his previous ones he had seen a figure going_ _across_ _it. The prince didn't know what changed in this_ _dream_ _, but he didn't want to let go of this opportunity; he then went through the looking glass._

_He couldn't believe at what he was witnessing, he had made it, he had went through the mirror, but nothing could've prepared him at the sight that had greeted him._

_He was in the middle of a room with sofisticate and elegant columns and decorations, there was no roof so he was able to see that the sky above him was dark, constellated by millions and millions of stars. The pavement was lucid and clean and, in the middle of it, there was present a big star motif._

_Abruptly a figure entered from the doors and the prince couldn't believe at what he was seeing; in front of him there was a majestic Startouch elf, he had long horns and black hair. He was different from Aaravos, he had a more angelic and celestial air around him._

_Said celestial being greeted him: "Greetings, Prince Callum_ _of_ _Katolis, we were all expecting you"._

_Callum then answered, confused: "Me? Why me?"_

_The luminous being replied: "Your confusion is understandable, however,_ _your arrival_ _was written in the star_ _s"_ _._

_Callum then asked him: "Wait, what do you mean by that?"_

_The elf said, more serious than before: "We don't have much time, since we are in the dream realm, after all. I promise you that I will answer all of your questions when we will meet in person"._

_He then added: "You have to find the portal in Xadia, with the cube in your hand" he pointed at the object: "You could locate its position, just follow the markings that it leaves on the ground"._

_The teenage boy nodded, even if he had lots of questions running in his mind; he was conscious about the fact that they still were in a dream and, because of that, he didn't have much time to ask all of the_ _queries_ _present in his_ _head_ _._

_So the prince choose one of them and asked him: "I've dreamt about the key and the portal for quite some time and my question is, why only in this dream was I able to touch the mirror and get through it?"_

_The Startouch elf responded: "That's because destiny has its own way to work, what happens in life occurs when the moment is right, neither before nor after"._

_The boy frowned, he didn't believe in destiny nor fate, he was a firm supporter of the theory that_ _an_ _individual created and moulded its life based on the choices made. He then said to the elf: "I don't believe in that, destiny"._

_The luminous being smiled slightly and told him: "You're human, you have a different world view than ours. When you will comprehend the star arcanum, you will get what I am saying"._

_The teenage boy wanted to reply to the words of the Startouch elf, but he started to feel that time was up. The last words he_ _had been able to_ _hear before waking up were: "Find us, Prince Callum and fulfil your destiny"._

That day Callum communicated to the group the dream that he'd had and his friends couldn't believe at what he was saying.

Soren said to him: "Wait a minute, you're telling me that you've seen and talked to a Startouch elf in a dream, right? How can we know that it hasn't just been, you know, a dream and nothing else?".

The prince sighed and explained to the royal guard, again: "Soren, I'm sure that what I've dreamt about was real. Star magic is mysterious and connected to vision, besides, when I woke up, I found that the star symbol on the cube was glowing".

The young man then replied: "It could makes sense, but I won't believe it till I see it!".

The prince rolled his eyes and then Claudia asked him: "So are you planning on bringing someone with you in this adventure?"

Callum then responded: "Yes, that's also why I've wanted to share this with all of you".

Rayla then entered the conversation and asked to him: "But Callum, you haven't even learned how to use properly sun magic, don't you think that it'll be too much learning at the same time both sun and star magic?"

The teenager had already considered what his girlfriend was telling him; it would be a difficult thing, but he needed to try. He also needed to do that in order to have a chance to defeat Aaravos, the previous dream that he had made before his encounter with the Startouch elf had left him a bit shaken, he knew deep down in his heart that the arch mage was more experienced and skilled than him, but regardless he had to try.

Callum then responded to Rayla: "I know, it's a lot to take in, but I have to. If I would be able to wield all of the arcanums, I could have a possibility to defeat Aaravos".

The Moonshadow elf, at hearing his words, simply nodded and Ezran intervened by saying: "I will stay here, I have to stipulate an alliance with the other kings and queens from the other human kingdoms".

He then turned to his older brother and told him: "Callum I suggest you bring Soren, Claudia, Rayla and Amiel with you. You don't really know where this portal is located, it could be outside our kingdom and I can't protect you if that happens to be true".

The young mage nodded and, all together, they organised the trip to the mysterious court of the Startouch elves.

They have all been travelling for a week now, Viren was tired and he was starting to think that this trip was useless.

The only company that he was enjoying out of all the group was, surprisingly, the one of his son.

In this period of time, he had started to really know him and he had found out that Soren had other talented qualities that he had never seen or had always brushed off. To be honest, when he had told him the plan that he'd made to free Ezran from prison, even if said plan had gone against his wishes, he was really proud of how his son had managed to architect such scheme.

Every passing day he was feeling more and more guilty about his actions; because of them he had broken their family dynamic and caused traumas on both of his sons since Soren had also told him how traumatised he had been after having killed his illusion that day during the war.

Viren was also concerned for his daughter, he had heard about the news of the fall of the dragon queen and the deaths of other dragons during various attack directed towards the city of Lux Aurea. He was fairly sure that, behind this deaths, there were her and Aaravos; he knew that too much power could corrupt people, he even experienced that first hand, so he only wanted to hope that his little girl was alright.

At the end of the week the group managed to reach the place where the portal was located and for Callum it had not been a surprise when said place revealed itself to be a cave.

When Viren saw the portal, he was surprised since the mirror in front of him resembled the one where Aaravos had been trapped into, the only difference present between the two was the fact that this one, instead of the other found in the dragon queen's lair, gave to an individual the opportunity to go through it.

Suddenly he had witnessed his son playing with it and he had instantly scolded him by saying severely: "Don't touch it! For all we know, it could be something dangerous".

His son then looked at him with a confused expression and Viren, noticing quickly the error that he had made, corrected himself: "I mean, I don't want you to get hurt... that's all".

The first one of them to go across the glass had been Callum and Viren had been the last of them, when he arrived in the court of the Startouch elves, he was able to notice that the style of the room where they were resembled the one where Aaravos had been trapped in.

Suddenly the big doors opened and a Startouch elf entered, in that moment he observed the faces of the components of the group and he noticed that, while Callum had a big smile etched in his face, Soren, Rayla and Amiel had remained speechless.

The Startouch being then greeted them all: "Greetings, we were all expecting you".


	16. Chapter 15

The place was astonishing; the architecture and the atmosphere present in the court of the Startouch elves was something that no component of the group had ever experienced.

The elf had brought them all in another room and, in doing so, he showed them some parts of the court, it really looked like they were in another world altogether and this could be seen from the way the surroundings were structured to the various Startouch elves who were roaming in the halls.

At a certain moment, it seemed that they reached their destination because they found themselves in a big and airy room; in front of them there were six different Startouch elves, all of these emanated an air of wisdom and intelligence, they also all looked like they were out of the fibre of space and time.

The being, who had escorted them from the place where they previously were, introduced to those elves their presence. All of the group members suddenly had started to feel observed and scrutinised, but, out of them all, the one the elves were keeping on looking at was Viren.

The ex arch mage, in fact, wondered himself if the ancients beings were able to see past his camouflage and, if this theory of his revealed itself to be true, he was terrified at the idea of his real identity being revealed by them.

One of them spoke and instantly the prince of Katolis recognised him as the one who had visited him in his dream: "Greetings, habitants of both Xadia and the human kingdoms, I am Saros, arch mage of the star arcanum and guardian of the nexus".

He then turned to Callum and said to him: "In our last encounter you had some questions, but unfortunately time was not on our side. Now, you may ask".

Instantly, the eyes of the other elves all started to observe the Katolian prince, the young boy then proceeded to say: "I am grateful for being accepted in your court. I have to make you aware of a terrible threat in our world, the peace of the continent is being menaced by the return of Aaravos".

At those words uttered by him, the prince had expected a reaction of some sorts from the elves and he was surprised when he noticed that the luminous beings hadn't reacted at all at his words, as if they were already aware of the events that the young prince was telling them.

He then continued: "We need all the help that we can muster to defeat him, his dark forces are advancing and who knows what his next move will be". Callum then added, seriously: "What I am asking of you is to join our cause, to aid us in maintaining the peace in our world and to defeat, once and for all, the menace that Aaravos is".

Saros then responded to the young mage: "We all understand your preoccupation and the return of the arch mage poses a real threat in your planet. But, regardless of that, I am afraid we cannot help you in your cause. It is not our battle and we can't intervene".

At hearing that, the group watched scandalised the elves present in the room; they couldn't believe at what one of them was saying, their race didn't want to intervene and their help would've been a crucial point in favour of their side, they could've been helpful because, with the force of these elves, they all could've been able to prevent and save lots of lives that now were doomed to a fatal and brutal destiny.

Rayla decided to intervene by saying: "How can you say something like that? We are in this situation because one of your kind has decided to suddenly wreak havoc in our world. Millions of lives are at stake and all you can say to us is that you won't intervene because this is not your battle?!"

A female Startouch elf then responded, with the same calm that Saros had showed: "We will gladly help the prince in mastering the star arcanum, since it is his destiny; however, we can't help you because we cannot defy fate's will. We are its agents and we live to fulfil its wishes".

At that, Amiel said a bit furious: "Aaravos has killed who knows how many living beings and he also succeeded in imprisoning my people!"

Soren then added: "I agree, it doesn't seem to me that he's following your moral code of 'we-don't-intervene-if-destiny-doesn't-say-so'.

The Startouch elf Saros replied, stoic as ever: "Aaravos is a rather peculiar case, he should've only intervened in moments of great need and it was his duty to keep the balance between the races".

A slight look of sadness could be seen in the eyes of the ethereal being and he continued: "He was my apprentice, but, in the end, it was his choice to defy fate's will and it pains me to say that the path he is following now is a direct consequence dictated by destiny for his disobedience".

Viren had stayed silent, since he was feeling a little bit guilty about all that was happening. Deep down he knew it was his fault that the Startouch elf was now free and bringing terror around the continent, but the real reason he was feeling that way resided in the fact that his daughter was now involved in this mess and, if the dark path of the arch mage was indeed a punishment decided by fate, he feared for the safety of Claudia.

He knew he had a job to accomplish; to retrieve the cube that would've rendered living beings unable to wield primal magic. However, he had started to question himself if it was really worth sacrificing his daughter mental sanity for the well-being of the world, and all of this talk with the Startouch elves was not helping him in clearing his thoughts at all.

Suddenly another startouch being said to them: "A new era is nearly upon us and the advent of a new arch mage is a sign of that. Prince Callum, we are asking you now to accomplish your destiny, but the choice is ultimately yours to make".

Callum, who had only observed the interactions between his friends and the elves, finally uttered: "It is not in my position to judge nor criticise the stance that you want to adopt in this conflict. Like I said to Saros in my dream, I don't truly believe in destiny, but if learning star magic will help us in winning this upcoming war, I will do that".

The same elf replied: "Then it is decided, you will begin your training and, in order to accomplish such in the best way possible, it is required that you stay here in Seirios".

He also proceeded with saying: "Unfortunately the same cannot be said for your companions, excluding the Sunfire elf, the others will have to return to your world since they are needed there".

At hearing that, Rayla couldn't believe at the words of the elf; she didn't want to leave Callum, they were in the brink of a war and his boyfriend was one of the few hopes that they were all holding on to defeat Aaravos. Moreover, she needed him, she didn't want to fight the upcoming conflict without her boyfriend at her side. Nobody knew when Aaravos would've attacked them, but it was only a matter of time; what if he didn't manage by then to master the star arcanum? What if she died in battle? Would this be the last time she would've seen her Callum?

This type of questions and woes were now present in her mind, so that's why she uttered, surprised and preoccupied at the same time: "What?! Callum can't stay here, we- we need him". She then added more softly: " _I need him_ ".

The prince then turned to Rayla and said to her gently: "Rayla, I can't say where the future will bring us, but if this is our only chance, I have to try. You know that I love you unconditionally. Here, take this".

He then gave the cube to the Moonshadow elf: "Please love, keep it safe for me and, if things will start to become worse and worse, find me with the key".

He added lovingly: "I will learn the arcanum and I will find a way to get back to you, I promise".

Rayla, at that, strongly hugged his boyfriend and, afterwards, she kissed him. It was a kiss full of promises and hopes and, after breaking it, she said: "I will wait for you, Callum and I will protect the key with all my might".

After having bid their goodbyes to Callum and Amiel, the group headed to the room where the portal to their world was located. Lots of contrasting thoughts were running in their minds, especially in Viren's since he didn't know how to feel about the fact that the cube was returning with them in Katolis.

From one hand he had been preoccupied that Callum would've kept it in the Startouch elves' court, because of that, he wouldn't then had been able to steal it anymore but, from another, a small part of himself, the same one which was making him doubt and reflect, had been a little disappointed with the fact that they would've managed to bring the key with them, since its stay with the Startouch elves would've been a perfect excuse of why he wouldn't have been able to eventually accomplish his task, in case he failed.

The terror and menace of Aaravos was now starting to be a reality for the other teenagers, since the hope of the Startouch elves battling alongside them in a possible war faded, like a beautiful flower does on the eve of the upcoming cold season. 


	17. Chapter 16

Two months had passed since Aaravos and Claudia had managed to have by their side the Skywing's elves tribes and, in that period of time, the dark forces had conquered also the courts of both the Tidebound and Earthblood elves.

During these conquests, it was very noticeable the fact that the elves had not been in a war with their kind for a long time, since their forces were weak and easy to destroy.

Even with the coalition of their armies stipulated by them they weren't able to stop the troops of Aaravos, furthermore the elves battling for their kingdoms had all been surprised when they saw that, amongst the corrupted and mind controlled Sunfire elves, there were the Skywing ones.

They knew that these elves born with the sky arcanum inside of them had decided to not intervene in case of an attack made by the arch mage to the other elven kingdoms; but they would've never expected that these kinds of beings would stipulate an allegiance with the dark forces that they were trying to neutralise.

They all felt betrayed by them and, with these two races being under the command of the Startouch elf, the armies of Earthblood and Tidebound elves soon collapsed to the power of darkness.

The last free elven kingdom was the one of the Moonshadows, which had vowed itself to fight until its armies could stand, but the troops all were aware of the fact that, alone, their forces couldn't defeat the ones of the arch mage.

Katolis had sent some of its armies in aid to the other elven races during the battles for their territories, but it had all been in vain since Aaravos now had achieved the control of the Sunfire, Tidebound and Earthblood elves and was allied with the Skywing's ones. The other human kingdoms were afraid and they all regretted their decision of not sending their own armies in aid to the elven races before because now, after the inevitable fall of the Moonshadow reign, Aaravos and Viren would've come for them too. 

***

Aaravos was happy, his plans were going flawlessly and, in a short span of time, he and Claudia had managed to conquer two elven kingdoms. He enjoyed seeing the arrogant elves struggling to battle against their own kind. After the division of the continent, they had all been used to fight against the humans and, for that, their armies had decreased their efficiency since defeating humans was considered a generally easy thing for a race connected to primal magic.

He took delight in seeing their arrogance slowly crumbling and emotions like fear and terror taking its place, he thought that them feeling those emotions was what they all deserved for the air of superiority that all of the elven Xadian races had showed in these past few centuries.

However, other than joy, the arch mage was feeling another sentiment, far more different from the other; preoccupation. Aaravos was preoccupied for his beloved, Claudia, since in these two months he didn't forget the terrible dream that he’d had, it was still etched in his mind and he was feeling that way because he didn't want the love of his life to die in battle.

Because of his worry, he had started to become more protective in her regards; during the battles against the two kingdoms that they had conquered, he had always given the young woman assignments that would've kept her away from the bloody and violent fights. He was aware of the potential and power of Claudia and he knew that she was someone who couldn't be easily taken down but, nonetheless, he couldn't help himself but feeling worried and preoccupied for her. He just hoped that the young mage hadn't notice his choices of keeping her out of any kind of fight.

Said young mage had, instead, detected the strange actions lately made by the Startouch elf in her regards every time they had gone to conquer a new elven reign. She had started to think that, maybe, he didn't value her potential in a fight and the hypothesis of him being concerned about her never crossed her mind, since she thought that the matter had already been resolved when they had talked about it the night when he had'd his terrible nightmare.

Claudia was annoyed with him for this; she was one of the most powerful dark mages around, she was even sure that, at this point, she had even surpassed her father. The young woman couldn't stand the simple fact that someone would underestimate her, especially if that someone was the person she loved with all her heart and soul.

One day the couple, alongside the chief of the Skywing's elves, Enlil, talked about what kind of tactic should be used in order to conquer the Moonshadow elves and taint the Moon nexus with dark magic, they all knew that the key locations in order to accomplish their objectives were two; the Cursed Caldera and Silvergrove, in both of these places there would've been lots of Moonshadow elves that would've guarded them.

Aaravos shared his scheme to the two people present in the room: "The plan is simple, thanks to the Moonshadow elf that we've recently captured, Enlil and his forces will attack the Silvergrove, meanwhile I'll lead an attack to the Cursed Caldera and corrupt the Moon nexus".

He then proceeded to say, turning towards the young mage: "Claudia, you will stay here, in Lux Aurea, to guard and amministrate the city, since some dragons could take the opportunity to bombard the court". 

At hearing that Claudia became more irritated with his attitude; she knew that the barrier around the golden city was effective, if not indestructible. Not even the queen of the dragons had managed to destroy it and she didn't even think that Aaravos really believed that the dragons could destroy such barrier.

Claudia knew that the Startouch elf was asking her to do that because he didn't want her to be involved in a battle and she was tired of this choices of his in her regards, so she said coldly, crossing her arms: "Oh, so now you want me to do nothing at all, huh?"

Instantly an air of tension pervaded the room and she then also added to the Skywing elf: "Could you leave the room? Me and the high arch mage need to discuss a few things in private".

Enlil left the room hurriedly; he didn't want nor he wished to watch any kind of quarrel between those two, since he still valued his life greatly and didn't want to die by the hands of an angry mage.

Aaravos, instead, had been surprised by the reaction of the young woman and, when Enlil left the room, he said to her: "No, that's not what I meant, I-".

But the Startouch elf didn't have the possibility to finish his sentence because Claudia, at hearing his words, bursted out saying: "That's not what you meant?! Did you actually think that I wouldn't have noticed your latest choices regarding my role in your plans?!".

Aaravos tried to say something to his beloved: "Claudia, please, let me explain-".

The young mage continued with her furious rant: "I am powerful, far more powerful than my father could've ever even hoped to be. With all this power, I can defeat so many of those miserable elven soldiers. But, instead, what are you doing? Underestimating me, thinking that I am not suited for an armed conflict!".

At hearing those words, Aaravos, tired of listening to her angry rant and of trying to explain himself to no avail, said irritated: "You know what?! You want to participate in a bloody battle? Fine. Then you lead the army to the Cursed Caldera and taint the Moon nexus instead of me!".

The young woman, at that, responded with a firm: "Fine!".

And the Startouch elf replied with his arms crossed: "Fine!".

Afterwards, Claudia stormed out of the room still angry and Aaravos observed her going away; after a couple of minutes, the elf put his hands on his face. He couldn't believe at what he just did, he should've maintained his position because now he couldn't protect her anymore, she wouldn't have let him come with her to the Cursed Caldera and, in addition, one of them really needed to stay in the golden city to administrate it, since it had now started to become the fulcrum of his new empire.

He loved Claudia dearly but sometimes she could be too stubborn and now, after all his efforts to keep her out of an armed conflict, he couldn't do anything to prevent her from going.

***

A week later the army of the dark forces led by Claudia arrived under the Cursed Caldera and, as predicted by Aaravos, there were many Moonshadow's elves ready to give their lives to defend the Moon nexus.

One of these elves said to her: "Surrender and we may consider the option to spare the lives of many innocent elves".

Claudia, disguised as Lord Viren, smirked evilly to the poor elf who had'd the audacity to say to her such words: "May I suggest you the voluntary submission of your people in exchange for those lives who would, otherwise, end this same day?".

The being connected to the Moon arcanum didn't answer and, in response, Claudia's smirk widened and so she said, feigning regret: "Very well, then, it is with my upmost displeasure that I declare the start of this battle".

She then spoke darkly to her army: " **srenosirp tnaw t'nod I kcatta** ".

Instantly the dark forces followed her orders and charged against the Moonshadow elves. 

Claudia was witnessing the death of so many soldiers who belonged to both sides and, unlike the time when she had participated in the war under the Storm Spire, she didn't felt guilty about the fall of her own soldiers.

An obscure part of her, the one she had always been ashamed of having when she still lived in the castle of Katolis, rejoiced of their demise and, furthermore, said dark side of hers fed itself on the terrible things that happened to the other living beings, that was why she liked squeezing their life essence out of them.

Claudia also knew that, deep down in her heart, that was the real reason why she had imposed herself to lead the battle. However, her moral self still refused to accept that she could enjoy such things, it was wrong on so many levels and yet, she couldn't help herself but rejoice about the failures and defeat of others.

The young woman managed to reach the top of the mountain with little to no injuries and, when she approached such place, she noticed that the illusion that she had put on herself of her father had started to fade away. ' _Such intelligent beings, these Moonshadow elves_ ', Claudia thought. She had to admit to herself that they were battling with honour, despite them knowing of their upcoming demise.

When she arrived to the Moon nexus, she saw that there was a moon mage protecting the place and she recognised such being; it was the same mage that she had encountered when she had been to the Cursed Caldera for the first time. Lujanne had started to say, sensing her arrival: "You will not succeed in tainting with your darkness this luminous place, Lord Viren".

The young mage laughed and, when the moonshadow elf heard the voice of a woman, she turned around to face her: "Y-you are not Lord Viren".

Lujanne observed carefully the human she had in front of her and she instantly recognised Claudia: "You are that girl, who came here years ago with your brother. Wh- what happened to you?".

The human sorceress smirked and then replied: "I'm not that girl anymore, I am, let's say, something else, who will destroy you if you don't let me pass".

Lujanne said, with regret in her voice: "Then you've chosen already your fate, since I can't let you do that".

After saying that, the two mages started to fight against each other, with Lujanne from one side trying to confuse Claudia's mind with her illusions and on the other the dark mage who was aiming at the moonshadow elf with dark spells fuelled by the corrupted sun staff.

At a certain point, Lujanne said: "I have to admit that you're a talented mage, girl, but let's see if your mind can survive to this".

The elf then created multiple illusions of herself at the same time and attempted to attack the young woman; Claudia, at seeing that, summoned a magical barrier around her and, from her satchel, she pulled out a vile containing a black liquid. She started to chant the following words: " **Neddih si tahw laever eye gniees eurt** ". And, while doing that, the serum started to bubble under her spell. She then dropped a portion of the potion into both of her eyes and Claudia, afterwards, started to grimace and scream out of pain. As a consequence, the barrier she erected previously around herself began to weaken.

The moon mage then took this opportunity to destroy it and attack the young woman, Claudia instantly recovered and, thanks to the dark spell performed, she managed to see the real Lujanne amongst the many illusions. The dark mage succeeded in parrying the spell launched by the elf and she, in return, unleashed one of her own against the older woman.

Lujanne was still thinking that her illusions were efficient, so that was why she didn't saw coming the direct attack of Claudia in her regards. Such attack managed to weaken the illusionist severely.

The dark sorceress approached the elf and prepared herself to strike down, once and for all, the elven woman. But, all of a sudden, an illusion of a banther shoved Claudia off and made the body of the dark mage collide against a rocky wall.

The human, weakened, struggled to get up and the moonshadow elf said to her: "I am sorry, girl, but you're too dangerous to be kept alive. I will have to end your life, for the sake of all the races populating the continent".

Claudia, who still hadn't recovered the forces to stand up nor do magic, watched with an horrified expression the elven woman and, aware of what kind of destiny now laid ahead of her, she closed her eyes, waiting for a blow of some sorts that would've ended her life; but that blow never came and, instead, she heard the sound of a sword slicing a body.

Claudia opened her eyes and she was instantly met with the sight of Aaravos, with his blade lodged into the chest of Lujanne. She saw the look of hatred inside the Startouch elf's eyes when he uttered venomously at the dying figure of the Moonshadow elf: "Don't you even dare do something like that to her".

He then pulled the sword out of Lujanne's back and let her body fall to the ground. Claudia had observed the scene and she then managed to get to her feet and approach her beloved and, when she reached him, she hugged him tightly. The elf returned the hug and heard the quiet sobs that were coming from the young woman in his arms: "A-Aaravos, I'm s-so sorry, I- I should've l-listened t-to you".

The elf responded soothingly: "Shh, it's okay, my love, you're alive and well, here with me, and that's all that matters".   
He then proceeded to caress gently her head and kiss it in an attempt to comfort her.

They stayed like that for some minutes and, when Claudia calmed down, he said to her: "I'm also sorry, maybe if I had been less overprotective in your regards, this situation could've been avoided. I never doubted of your capacities, my dear, and it breaks my heart knowing I've made you feel that way".

Claudia then replied: "It's alright, really. I should've listened to your explanations that day, I apologise for my attitude".

He then said to her: "That's in the past now. In this moment, we have to taint the moon nexus, do you think you can manage to walk?"

She shook her head and replied to him by saying: "My left leg hurts and I'm feeling a bit sore, so I don't think I can do that".

At hearing her words, he put one of his arms under her legs and the other around her back. At his gesture the young woman blushed and she gently put her arms around his neck, burying also her face in the recess of his collar.

During the walk, a question popped in Claudia's mind and she asked to the elf: "Wait, if you're here, then who's administrating Lux Aurea?"

The Startouch elf slowly chuckled and responded: "Well, let's just say I've pulled off an illusion of myself to do that. It won't last long but, hey, better than one of those Sunfire elves being in charge for even one second".

The dark sorceress giggled softly and kissed the arch mage on his cheek.

When they arrived at their destination, Aaravos put Claudia down and performed the ritual that would've tainted the moon nexus with the essence of dark magic; Claudia remembered the last time that she had been there, she had almost kissed her then friend Callum and, in that same place, she had told him that his father had died during the attack of the Moonshadow elves in Katolis.

She didn't regret not kissing him that day and she was honestly glad at how things had turned out for her. In that moment, she was there, with her true love and she had to admit that she liked even more the reflection of the red moon, by now tainted by dark magic, than the one that Callum had showed her that time.

The vision of the Startouch elf near her by her side was far more better and satisfying than Callum's one had ever been. Without thinking she took Aaravos' hands in hers and gently kissed him on his lips with all her heart, accomplishing what she hadn't been able to do two years ago.


	18. Chapter 17

Callum loved the planet Serios, it was really something otherworldly and different than Xadia; here the people were more carefree, aloof, but caring. They were beings detached by common worlds problems, who devoted their lives to their belief and ideas concerning fate's will.

Sometimes the young prince had found himself thinking that he was living in a place beyond time, space and reality and, in his opinion, when he would've eventually died, he would've liked to live his afterlife in a place resembling Serios.

In these past months he had dedicated himself in trying to create a connection with the star arcanum and, thanks to Amiel, he had also carried on his sun magic's training. He had talked to the Sunfire elven mage about his thoughts concerning the planet where they were and this one had said to him that, though he didn't mind it, he still couldn't quite stand the elves living there, since the Sunfire mage was still bitter about the stance that they had taken in regards of this war. 

Prince Callum could understand where his bitterness was coming from, but what he had learned from observing these elves was that their belief was the most important thing for them; it was their culture and this creed was what moulded their entire kin.

Unfortunately, the young prince in these months hadn't managed to completely get this conception of the world; Callum was still skeptical about the existence of a force such as fate and, because of that, he still hadn't been able to succeed in establishing a connection with the star arcanum.

He felt the pull of such arcanum inside of him, he had always felt it since his first dreams regarding the startouch elves and the recurring objects; however, the worst thing of all, was that he didn't know why it was so hard understanding such belief regarding destiny.

That day he was following with Saros the same typology of training that they had been doing since he had got there; they would meditate and, in his meditating state, he should've tried to find his own connection with the cosmos and the force of fate surrounding him and guiding him through his life. At least, that was what Saros had always said to him.

He was starting to get more and more impatient each passing day and that was why he said to the elf, after having finished their meditation: "I don't understand, why can't I get it!? It has been already two months and I still haven't even established a connection with the star arcanum!"

Saros, at the words of the adolescent, responded, with that calmness that characterised him: "You have to be patient, Prince Callum. It's already a difficult task for star mages who have been born with that connection, I can't imagine what it must be like for a human".

He then smiled slightly at him: "But I think that, overtime, you'll get there. After all, it is written in the stars and we, as startouch elves, will try to do anything to help you achieving your fate".

At hearing that, Callum became more annoyed than before: "That's the thing! How can I believe in a force that establishes from the birth of every living creature what they'll become in their lives? How can I be sure that it exists? What if I am the one who chooses what I want to be in my life?"

The startouch being then replied: "Every living thing has got a role in this world, that role, depending on the creature, may look insignificant to individuals like elves or humans but, in reality, every single scope of the beings in this universe has got a meaning. We're only parts of a bigger picture, decided since the beginning of the times by the force we call fate".

Callum then replied defiantly, still remembering vividly the first time where he had come face to face with the word destiny: "I still don't get it! When I first tried dark magic, a dark alter ego of mine told me that I had to embrace the dark art in order to become a mage, saying that it was my "destiny" but, instead, I choose to refuse it. I had a choice that day, nothing is set in stone".

The luminous being said, not surprised by what the young mage had told him: "What you've faced, young prince, was merely an illusion of a choice. You wouldn't have chosen that path either way, simply because it was not yours to take in advance".

Callum then said to him; still not believing entirely his vision: "Then what about Aaravos? You said that he had defied this force's will and that his destiny was to keep the balance between the races".

At hearing those words, the startouch elf simply replied and Callum, even after two months of stay in the court of this luminous beings, was still surprised by the patience and calmness that these peculiar individuals could muster: "We startouch elves define ourselves as agents of fate because, since we are connected to the source of the cosmos, we are able to see possible events that may happen in the future".

He then looked at the human prince with seriousness in his eyes: "We could modify those events by preventing them from happening but, if we did so, we believe that we would anger this cosmic force and that terrible episodes then would happen to those who would do that".

Callum, at hearing his explanation, stayed silent for a while; this fear that these type of elves possessed of bad things happening to them if they ever defied this almighty destiny's will had been, ultimately, the reason why they had refused going to war with them. Moreover, the young prince came to the realisation that he didn't quite believe at fate simply because the idea of a force, that controls the choices of an individual and has already decided what oneself will become in their life, even before being born, was just too much to handle.

For the human mage, this was a pessimistic and restrictive way to view life and he couldn't accept in his free heart and spirit the fact that such reality could even probably exist.

He then looked at the luminous being and said, confused and destabilised: "I-I need some time to think, i-it's a lot to take in".

The elf responded, sympathetic: "Of course, take your time prince Callum, I understand".

Callum was getting up when a startouch elf entered the room hurriedly, this one said to both Saros and him: "I'm sorry if I had disturbed you, but we have a visitor from the world of Xadia".

Callum then quickly exited the room and headed to the one where the portal to his world was located. When he entered, he saw his beautiful elven girlfriend, Rayla, and he instantly hugged her fiercely; many days had passed since he had last seen her and he had missed her deeply.

After having broken the hug, he asked to Rayla, a bit concerned: "Are you okay, Rayla? Is everything's fine? I missed you so much".

The Moonshadow elf then responded to him, with tears in her eyes: "I've missed you too and I'm happy to be reunited with you, but...".

The young elf, at that point, started to cry and the human mage became more preoccupied than before; he had rarely even seen Rayla crying so, whatever must have happened in their world, must have broken her.

He tried to comfort the Moonshadow elf and, after some minutes, she had managed to calm down a bit and she said to him: "Callum, I-I lost them. Ethari, my folks, everything. The Silvergrove is in the hands of Aaravos and Lord Viren's forces and I-".

At that point the voice of the young woman cracked, but nonetheless she tried to tell to his boyfriend what had happened: "I- I wasn't there to battle with them , I should've done something, anything".

At hearing that, the prince of Katolis intervened and said concerned: "Rayla, I'm so sorry for what happened, but don't you ever say that you should've done something, they were probably too many to even battle if the reign of the Moonshadow's elves has fallen".

Rayla then looked down and after having pondered his words she said: "You're right, it's just that I'm a bit shook and I wished I could've done something to help them".

Nonetheless, tears started to resurface again in the eyes of the elven being and she told to her companion: "But that's not all, in these last two months both the kingdoms of the Earthblood and Tidebound's elves have fallen in the hands of the enemy".

The news alarmed the young mage, since, from the tale of her girlfriend, most of the elven reigns had been defeated and, without them, he knew that the humans alone couldn't have had even a slight chance to defeat the menace that was Aaravos, so he asked her, with just a flicker of hope in his voice: "A-and the Skywing's tribes?".

After having uttered his words, Callum noticed that something akin to resentment passed in Rayla's eyes and she said: "Their chief tribe betrayed all the elven races by siding voluntarily with Aaravos".

Instantly anxiety and fear pervaded the body and mind of the human mage; half of the continent had been conquered by the Startouch elf and the ex arch mage of their kingdom and now, without the elven realms, the humans were practically exposed to the evil darkness that had conquered those same reigns. Aaravos was winning this war and they had little to no chance to defeat him and, moreover, he still hadn't been able to create a connection with the star arcanum and he feared that he wouldn't have many possibilities to defeat the startouch elf.

Therefore he said to Rayla: "I'm sorry to hear that and also to disappoint you, because I haven't been able to tap into the star arcanum yet".

The young woman caressed his cheek softly and replied: "It's not your fault, Callum. You're doing everything that you can in order to try to save our world and I didn't expect you to comprehend quickly star magic, which is the most difficult out of them all".

The elven girl then gently pecked his lips in order to reassure him and the human mage gently returned it. He was thinking about the fact that, even if he wasn't able to wield star magic, he still had the ability to wield the other sources at his will. Aside from Aaravos, he was the only mage in all of the continent that was able to do something like that, therefore his presence in this maybe could make a difference in this war.

Thus he said to his girlfriend, resolutely: "I may not be as powerful as Aaravos, but I can still wield the other sources. We have to try, Rayla. We won't let them win so easily, hope is the last to die".

At hearing that, Rayla smiled and, after a few moments, she added: "You're right, we can't let them have our world without us battling for it before".

The young prince then turned to Saros, who had watched until now the interactions between the two, and said to him, resolutely: "I'm sorry if I have to interrupt my training but, as you've heard, most pressing matters are attending me to my world. I can't stay here, unfortunately".

The elven being nodded, comprehensive, and replied to him: "I understand, Prince Callum".

He then proceeded to say, more serious than before, pointing at the cube in the hands of Rayla: "I can't help you directly, but I can tell you this; protect the key, since it has got the power to eradicate from living beings their innate connection with the arcanums. Do not let it fall in the hands of Aaravos".

The human mage, surprised by the words of the startouch being, felt that little flicker of hope increasing; he wasn't aware of this fact over the key, but if Aaravos would've gotten his hands on it, then the war would've been won by him in an instance. With a new resolute scope in his life, he nodded at the luminous being and looked at his girlfriend with a look full of love and hope in his eyes.

***

A week later, Lux Aurea was preparing its arsenal for the upcoming war against the human kingdoms. During a reunion; Aaravos, Claudia, the prefects of the three elven reigns conquered by the dark mages, assigned by the arch mage, and Amiel discussed of the final tactic that would've been used against their last enemies standing.

They were discussing about it in a round table, since the two mages had been generous enough to invite these figures to a fancy dinner. Not only the fancy occasion had been established in order to communicate to these elves the final tactic, but also because it was the birthday of the companion of the arch mage, Claudia.

The young woman had insisted to have the reunion on that day and thus Aaravos had organised a fancy occasion in order to celebrate both their upcoming victory and that important event.

During the dinner, the human sorceress had been impressed and amazed by what her beloved had done for her, since she had never had a birthday like the one that Aaravos had prepared for her and the arch mage had also told her that, after the reunion, a regal feast would've taken place in the big hall of the palace.

He had said to the presents: "I have all summoned your presence today because the day after tomorrow we will march against the human kingdoms to conquer their domains".

The elven beings all smiled with delight and joy at the news, Aaravos had managed to manipulate and corrupt such beings and now they were only shadows of their former selves, motivated only by the hidden hate against the human race that the startouch elf had been able to discover and use at his own gain.

He then said looking at them: "Me and my beloved empress have decided to assign to the army of the Tidebound elves the zone where the kingdom of Evenere is located, meanwhile the Earthblood elves will attack the reign of Neolandia".

The startouch elf then turned his attention to the remaining prefect representing their people: "The Moonshadow elves instead, will assault the domains of Duren and the Skywing's will ambush the realm of Del Bar".

He then turned his head to the human mage who said to the others: "In the meantime, the army of Lux Aurea will strike against the kingdom of Katolis. It is of outmost importance the fall of the human rulers in order to win the battle. Is it all clear?"

Instantly one of the prefect, the one who was representing the Tidebound elves, spoke up and asked: "How will we communicate to you our eventual victory after the death of the royals?"

The young woman responded: "Simple, we'll use the shadowhack arrows forged by the Moonshadow elves to do that".

Afterwards all of the presents carried on to finish their dinner and, at one point, the young woman, with a mischievous flicker in her eyes, turned to the arch mage and said to him, already amused by what she was going to say: "Hey love, do you want to know why the ocean elf left the party early? Because he was getting tide!".

Aaravos, at her pun, laughed soundly and replied to her in return: "And do you know what a Moonshadow elf said to me one time? Oh mighty wizard, please spare me and don't moonipulate me".

The rest of the dinner passed with the two royals sincerely laughing at their own puns and the prefects looking at each other's, trying to understand the strange jokes made by the couple and all slowly wondering if their rulers were truly losing their sanity, since these elves weren't aware of this strange sense of humour, typical of the human race.

After the dinner, the feast had begun and lots of elves had come from the kingdoms to wish a good birthday to their empress; the regal party was elegant and sophisticated, there were elven musicians belonging to different races that were playing different kinds of songs that the young woman loved, the hall was well decorated, with typical and unique adornments that Claudia had never seen in her life.

Claudia had spent that part of the night dancing and laughing with the person who had organised this beautiful event. Since her childhood, she had always desired to have a memorable birthday feast like the one that she was having now; she remembered the way that she had passed her last birthday, alone, without the people that she had once considered her friends and with only her father to keep her company.

However, she viewed that day also as one of her favourites out of them all, since Aaravos had come out of his cocoon and, from there, beautiful things had started to happen in her life. She had fallen in love with the startouch being, she had conquered elven reigns, she had become a royal and one of the most powerful mages in all of the continent.

The young sorceress was dancing with that same person who had managed to give her his love and everything that she now had when she was recalling those memories. Because of them, Claudia was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the elf whispering softly in her ear to follow him outside.

Once they were outside, in the gardens of the palace of Lux Aurea, Aaravos asked to her, with a smile on his face: "So, is the feast of your enjoyment?".

The young woman replied, with that same soft smile and a fond look in her eyes: "I am loving it, it is the most beautiful party I've ever been to and to know that it has been done in my honour makes me happier".

The elf was glad to hear the words of the young maiden, he had promised to her that he would've given her everything that she had ever desired and he had remembered a conversation where she had told him that she had always wanted to have a big and memorable birthday feast one day. The young woman had stolen his heart, mind and soul and he had reached a point where she was everything that mattered to him in this life, his hatred and revenge against the races of Xadia would matter nothing to him if they had to be compared with the love that he was feeling for her.

He still couldn't understand exactly what logic there was behind this phenomenon called love that he was experiencing with Claudia, but he had come to the conclusion that, in the end, he didn't really care to find a logical explanation for his emotions. What he was sure of was that the presence of Claudia in his life had managed to cure that sensation of loneliness and abandonment that he had experienced for centuries since he had been trapped inside the damned mirror.

He wanted the young woman to be by his side, for as long as time would grant them and thus he took the hands of the human mage in his and said to her, softly and lovingly: "Claudia, since I've come out from that cocoon you've brought happiness and joy in my life, you've managed to warm my heart and spirit with your laughters and beauty".

At hearing his words, the human mage smiled gently at her lover and he continued: "You have given me a new purpose, much more meaningful than my previous one; to create a world worthy of you".

The look on his eyes softened considerably and devotedly he asked her: "Claudia, my love, will you grant me the honour to become your husband and cherish you for the rest of our lives after the end of the war? Will you marry me?"

At hearing that, the eyes of the young woman started to fill with tears of joy; she couldn't believe at what was happening, the love of her life had just proposed to her and she couldn't have been happier. They would rule, side by side, as husband and wife, the entire continent and she couldn't have asked for a better outcome than that one.

She replied to him, moved by his touching words: "Yes, of course I will! I can't think of anything I want to do more than spend the rest of my life with you".

Thereafter the two mages shard a long and passionate kiss, filled with love, sealing with that the promise of marrying each other following the end of the war.

After having shared that, the young woman asked to the elf: "Do you think that they'll notice our retirement before the end of the feast?"

And the startouch being, laughing slightly, responded: "Well, not if I pull off this simple trick".

Suddenly two perfect illusions of the two appeared before them, ready to take the place of the two mages at the feast for the rest of the moonlit night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoyed! See you on the next chapter! :)


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